Learning to Trust
by Sakura Mitsukai
Summary: One girl has to learn to trust in the only man who can save her; a man who has only trusted in himself - Seto Kaiba. (COMPLETE)
1. Prologue: Reveal the Past Part One

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters on the show. I only own my creativity, my computer, and Serena…and any other characters not mentioned on the show.

PixieDust: Unlike my past two fanfics, I plan on finishing this one…unless I become extremely at a loss for writing as I am in the middle of a pretty large project called "Silver Stone." My inspiration for it was none other than "Yu-Gi-Oh" itself. If you would like to read the prologue and tell me your thoughts on it, you can do so by going to my bio page. It is titled "Silver Stone – The Beginning of the End." (For now at least…and yes, Serena is the only name I can think of right now) Anyways, please enjoy this story.

Modifications: I haven't seen every Yu-Gi-Oh episode so if some things do not line up, please forgive me.  
Background: Bearing a dark past, Serena must learn to balance her burdens. After the death of her mother, trusting people has become the hardest thing for her to do. She's learned to trust in her friends, but will she learn to trust in the only man who can save her; a man who has only trusted in himself?

**Prologue – Reveal the Past**

"Mommy!" a young girl screamed, piercing the silence of the night as she watched her mother be thrown against the wall and fall down in pain. She felt a blade of cold metal press up against the base of her neck and then penetrate the skin, drawing blood. She immediately quieted, biting down on her lip to hold the pain inside.

"Keep her quiet," a voice demanded in the darkness, the power and evil quite evident.

"It will be ok, everything will be fine!" her mother's voice spoke calmly, but the pain in it was unmistakable.

"Keep them both quiet!" the voice demanded again.

"Yes Master," a barely audible voice spoke up, covering the mother's voice.

"You have crossed the wrong lines Celeste Pegasus; you _and_ your brother. For that, you must die. I will spare his life, as you have formerly requested, as well as the life of your daughter, but you, _you_ must die."

"No!!!!" the child's voice screamed out, tears falling down her dirty face.

"I will give you a minute to say goodbye to _your_ daughter." With a wave of his hand, his servant released Celeste, who eagerly ran to her six year old little girl.

"I love you my darling. Never forget me. You will understand why this has happened when you are older. Your uncle will take good care of you my darling," she said rapidly, slipping something into her daughter's hand, unnoticed by everyone in the room. "Take care of it," she whispered softly, as she watched her daughter slip it in her sweater pocket.

"I love you Mommy," the little girl said, more tears falling from her eyes.

"Time is up. Take her away."

"How will I know my daughter is safe?" Celeste demanded her eyes still full of fire and her words still as forceful as always.

"I am a man of my words Miss Pegasus," he said evenly. "Take her daughter away, inform Mr. Pegasus that his sister has died and his niece has been left in his custody," he said to the servant who holding tightly to the sobbing child. _This is not the last you will see of me Serena Pegasus. I will return again._

"Mommy!" Serena screamed out once again, as she was dragged away from the room.

"Everything will be ok darling! I love you!" Celeste yelled after them, and faced her abductor.

"Any last words?" he asked her cynically.

Celeste was amazed at how much people could change when putting on masks and unveiling their true selves. Jared had seemed perfect when she had first met him, and here he was, preparing to kill her. She briefly and silently chastised herself for being so foolish and naïve six years ago.

"None? It's a shame; I was hoping you would tell me where the millennium ruby necklace was."

"I will never tell you! Never!"

"I know _you_ won't. You'll be dead," he mocked her.

"Leave Serena out of this! She does not know!" Celeste yelled at him, understanding where his thoughts were heading.

"I do think I have a right to talk to my –"

"You have no rights to her!"

"You have just said your last words Celeste Pegasus. Prepare to die."

A single gunshot was heard in the night sky. There was no scream of pain. Only silence inhabited the world after the gun had sounded. 

A car drove fast into the darkness, heading for Maximillion Pegasus' mansion. Serena sat quietly beside one of the men involved in this nightmare, her hand dug deep into her pocket, clutching tightly to the millennium ruby necklace – the last memory of her mother.


	2. Prologue: Reveal the Past Part Two

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, yadda yadda yadda.

**Prologue – Reveal the Past 2**

His butler knocked quietly on his door, explaining that there were two men who claimed they desperately needed to speak with him. He walked slowly down to the foyer where they were waiting for him; a little girl clutching a teddy bear tightly to her was standing between them. He thought she looked vaguely familiar, but instantly dismissed the fact of who he thought she may be. These men did not look familiar to him, but he would find out why they were here. His Cecilia was ill and he wanted to spend his time by her side, seeing to her recovery.

"What is it?" he finally asked, as the men had not said a word, nor had the little girl with the tearstained face.

"Are you Mr. Pegasus?" one of the men finally asked, fidgeting slightly. It was obvious he was uncomfortable in the presence of the younger man.

"I am. What business do you seek with me?" he asked, his voice never faltering.

"We are here to inform you of the death of your sister, Celeste Pegasus," the other man spoke this time. Pegasus noticed more tears began to spill down the young child's face.

"Celeste?" he said quietly. His younger sister, so naïve and full of life had fallen in love with a young man whom Pegasus did not approve of. But to see her happy, he had put that aside, until he had found out his little sister was pregnant and the man wanted no responsibility. Before he could talk to him, he was gone – out of both Celeste's and the coming child's life. When the child turned two, Celeste left the safety of the mansion, searching desperately for the man who had fathered her child, at least, that is what Pegasus believed. Slowly, she lost contact with her older brother as he denied his responsibility to his sister and focused more on Cecilia, his love. He had not seen his sister since the day she had left the mansion, claiming she was old enough to know what she was doing.

"She had no husband and you are the closest to kin," one of the men began again. "We were told to bring her daughter to you."

Pegasus looked down at the girl again. Her eyes were a dark sapphire blue, stormy, with light dancing all around in them, but they were clouded with the fallen and unshed tears of losing her mother. He knew all about her from the few letters he received from his sister throughout the years.

He stood there, still in shock. His beloved sister was gone, and now he held the responsibility for her daughter. He couldn't give the child the attention she would need, his wife was dying. He wouldn't admit to it, but she was. He would take the child in, until he found a proper boarding school to send her to. Somewhere she would receive the attention she needed, as well as the education.

"Thank you," he said numbly. The two men turned to go, obviously anxious to get away. "She has nothing with her?" he asked suddenly, stopping the men in their tracks.

"No Sir, nothing," one of the men confirmed before they exited through the door, joyous at being away from the danger they felt.

"Take her to one of the rooms," Pegasus said quietly to one of the maids, as he turned and began to walk back to Cecilia's room.

"Thank you Uncle Max," Serena said quietly, as she was led away to a room that would be hers for the time being.

Pegasus stopped shortly, upon hearing "Uncle Max." One tear slid down his face which he quickly wiped away. Celeste had definitely taught his niece well. She would do well in boarding school. Right now, Cecilia needed him, he told himself, and tried to push aside the fact that a little girl was hurting with the pain of losing her mother. He didn't know she had been murdered; he didn't know Serena had heard the gun that had killed her; he didn't know it was Serena's own father who had done it.


	3. Chapter 1: The Angel of Dreams

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, yadda yadda yadda.

**Chapter One – The Angel of Dreams**

The sun was just peeking out from behind the clouds as the rain slowly came to an end. Not far into the distance, a rainbow appeared. The magnificent colors slowly faded into one another as it stood proudly in the sky. Flowers were blooming beautifully, the grass was green, and it was a new day.

Sixteen year old Serena Pegasus hummed quietly as she began to finish packing the few things she had. It had been ten years since her uncle had brought her to this boarding school, nine years since she had seen him last. His wife had passed away, causing his heart and his inspiration for life to grow dim. Serena focused her mind on happy thoughts, the main one being that she would finally go out into the world. She could finally participate in a _real_ duel monsters game. She had learned through a letter, three years earlier, that her uncle had taken ill. Slowly, he had begun to recover, but strangely, it wasn't until he had his millennium eye back that he was completely well. His heart was still cold from the loss of his beloved wife, but day by day, he was able to slowly move on. Through letters and brief phone calls the past year, she had learned much about duel monsters, and had even received a deck from her uncle. She was the top duelist in her school, and was looking forward to going and participating in the third Battle City tournament, as she had missed the first two.

She slowly sat down on her bed, now stripped of all its sheets, as she glanced around the room. Everything was packed and ready to go to her uncle's mansion. She was planning on going to Domino City, soon to be known once more as Battle City. Her hand slowly went up to her neck, her fingers softly flowing over the necklace she wore. She couldn't remember much of her past, except for the day her mother had been killed – the scar on her neck, an ugly reminder that it was more than a bad nightmare. She remembered her mother telling her she loved her, and secretly giving her this necklace. She had known this was something important, and had kept it close to her from that day on. She remembered spending two weeks in her uncle's mansion, before coming to the place she learned to call home. But today, she would call it home no longer; it would be the school and life of her past.

She sighed gently as she pulled her knees up to her chin and closed her eyes. She had had no close friends the whole time she had been in the school. She understood that trusting people was hard for her, but she didn't understand why she couldn't trust them beyond superficial friendship. The only person she had truly begun to trust was someone she had really never met, just someone she had started writing to after a year of being in the school. Her name was Téa Gardner and she was Serena's pen pal. Over the years, they had continued to keep in touch and talk about more personal matters; Serena never truly scraped the surface of her past though. She knew it was strange to trust someone she had never met, but somehow, they had connected. She was looking forward to finally getting to meet her pen pal when she made her way to Domino City. Maybe for once, she would find a real friend, someone she could depend on and trust. She opened her eyes and glanced out the window of her room once more, smiling softly as she saw a robin fly by. Today held promise; the promise of a new life, and new friends.

"Miss Serena," the voice of an elderly gentleman spoke, opening the door slightly, "your uncle is here to take you to the train station."

"Thank you Bernard," she said quietly, gathering her last two bags and walking down to the main door.

No words were exchanged between the two except for the formalities. It wasn't until they reached the train station that Pegasus found himself speaking. "You are sure this is what you want?"

"Yes Uncle Max," Serena said confidently, using the name she had first referred to him as.

"Then I want to give you this," he replied, pulling a small box out and handing it to her. "This is a special card," he continued, "the only one of its kind. I had planned to hold another duel and give this as part of the prize, but I think it is more appropriate that I give it to you. I named it "The Angel of Dreams," after your mother. Her attack power is 3750 while her defense is 3350, a strong card, regardless of the position of attack and defense; and she's a level eight. She also contains a special effect – when sent to the graveyard, either by battle or sacrifice, you are allowed to summon any monster with attack points between 1500 and 2500 and 150 points of damage is inflicted to your opponent if the card is lost in battle. As you can tell, it is powerful and will make a great asset to your deck."

Serena smiled at her uncle, her eyes bright with joy and excitement. "Thank you Uncle Max!" she exclaimed, hugging him for the first time in her entire life.

He responded to her hug, tightening it slightly, knowing he may not see her for a long time. "I wish you luck Serena. Win one for me," he smiled at her. _And your mother whom you look like more and more each day._

"I will Uncle Max. Thank you so much for everything," she said, the light dancing in her eyes. As tears threatened to be released, she scrambled out of the limo and ran to catch her train which was calling one last time for passengers. She waved to her uncle before boarding the train headed for Domino City.


	4. Chapter 2: Enter: Domino City

Disclaimer: Must I continue this? *sighs ruefully* I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its counterparts…yadda yadda yadda…oh…do keep in mind, this is three years after where the episodes are at now (to my knowledge at least), so the characters have changed and aged some…and it's also ten years after the prologue…

**Chapter Two – Enter: Domino City**

The train came to a slow stop as it finally reached it's destination in Domino City. Téa and Yugi stood among the crowds of people, waiting for Téa's pen pal to emerge from the overloaded car. When it seemed as if all the passengers had exited and no one else was coming, a girl with long blonde hair and gravity defying bangs hanging in her eyes emerged from the train, carrying two bags with her. Her stormy sapphire blue eyes with light sprinkled around the pupil glanced around the station, searching for a recognizable face it seemed. Her eyes passed over a tall brunette girl and a short multi-colored hair boy once, then twice, until her eyes finally locked with the boy. He seemed to look familiar. His amethyst eyes gave away his innocence as he looked back at her. He slowly nudged the girl standing beside him, said something, and slightly nodded his head in Serena's direction. The girl looked to where her friend had said, and a smile immediately illuminated her face.

"Serena?" she called over the noise of the station.

"Téa?" the blonde called back to her.

The two girls smiled at each other and met half way with a hug. To the both of them, it felt like meeting an old friend.

"Serena, this is my friend Yugi. Joey was in the middle of a duel, so he and the others stayed behind," Téa said, as the three of them made their way away from the station.

"It's nice to meet you Serena. Téa's been talking all about you and how excited she was that you were coming to participate in the duel. She said you were the top duelist at your school," Yugi said, taking one of Serena's bags from her.

"And it's nice to meet you, Yugi…you wouldn't happen to be Yugi Motou would you?" she asked, recognition finally dawning on her as the one who had won the Duelist Kingdom tournament, as well as the past two Battle City tournaments.

"Yes, that's me," he said, a smile on his face.

"You're the number one duelist…beating my uncle at Duelist Kingdom must have been difficult considering he created the modern day game. He also used his millennium eye to see the cards in your hand…I'm sure you knew that, but he's changed. He's a truly wonderful person. It was just hard for him to lose my mom and his wife within two years," she said softly.

"Pegasus is your uncle?" Yugi asked surprised. It had never been mentioned that Pegasus had a sister…or a niece.

Serena explained the basics of her past – her mother's death, meeting her uncle, and going to boarding school. She wasn't ready to open up to these two people beyond the surface, but she felt in her heart of hearts that she could easily trust them.

~*~*~*~*~

"Grandpa, this is Serena," Yugi said as they walked into the game shop where the others were to meet them.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Motou," Serena said as she reached the counter and held out her hand, smiling into the kind eyes of the elderly man.

"Please, call me 'Grandpa'," he replied, shaking her hand and smiling back. "You must be the young girl from Téa's letters."

"Yes, that's me. When do the actual Battle City duels begin?"

"In one week Serena. We should take you to get registered before they close it off tomorrow," Yugi said, noticing for the first time the emblem on the necklace she wore.

"Oh, that's ok Yugi; I registered already through the mail. I received my packet a week ago," Serena replied, also noticing the emblem on Yugi's upside-down pyramid hanging around his neck. Serena knew the insignia; it was a millennium item, much like her uncle's eye and her own necklace. Self-conscientiously, her hand went up to touch the ruby eye on her neck, a slight blush playing on her features. She had no reason to doubt him; her dream had shown the puzzle to her, telling her he would be a true friend, and his friends would be true friends as well. As she got to know him and Téa, and the others she had yet to meet, she knew she would be able to open up and reveal her past to them. Given enough time to learn to trust them, maybe, just maybe, she could trust other people too.

"Hey Téa, is this your friend?" a voice said, pulling Serena from her quiet thoughts. Another blush crept up her face as she wondered just how long she had stood there with her hand near her neck, quiet, and her eyes staring into space.

"Everyone, meet Serena," Téa said, smiling at Serena who in turn, smiled at the three new faces before her. They were introduced to her as Serenity, Joey, and Tristan.

"We can't stay 'cause I'm going ta go get some practice and kick some duelist's butt, but we wanted ta drop by and say 'hey'," Joey said, smiling at Serena. _She's a babe_.

"We?" Tristan clarified.

"Yeah, I need my support so I can have witnesses ta tell the world dat Joey Wheeler is one of the greatest duelists alive."

"So humble too," Téa said, rolling her eyes.

"It was nice ta meet ya Serena," Joey said, grabbing Tristan, whose arm was around Serenity, leading them away from the game shop.

"Joey is always like that. You get used to it after a while," Téa said apologetically.

Serena smiled and allowed a small laugh to escape her.

_She probably thinks we're a bunch of nuts,_ Yugi's mind spoke to the spirit within his puzzle.

_Possibly so Yugi, but she doesn't know any one else in Domino City, so she's not going to go anywhere,_ Yami returned.

"Would you like a tour of the city?" Téa asked, breaking the silence which had begun to settle on the group.

"Sure…but, where do I put my bags?" Serena asked, laughing softly again.

"You can leave them here. We'll just come back and get them before you go to Téa's," Yugi said, taking both the bags and placing them behind the counter. "We won't be too long Grandpa," he called over his shoulder.

"Yugi, what time is it?" Téa asked as they headed away from the game shop.

"It's almost two Téa, why?"

Téa groaned inwardly and out. "Serena, I have to be at work in fifteen minutes, do you mind if Yugi shows you around? I only have to work a few hours because this is my last day," she asked, hope evident in her eyes.

_This would be the perfect time to find out about his millennium item,_ she thought contentedly. "That'd be fine Téa," she said, smiling genuinely.

"Come to the game shop when you're off," Yugi said simply. _Now I'll have a chance to ask her about her millennium item._

_Don't pry too much, only ask what she's willing to answer,_ Yami said pointedly.

_Right!_

Casual conversation went on for awhile, while the two teens waited for the right time to bring up the millennium items, not wanting to feel like they were speaking out of the blue. Serena was learning her way around the town and was becoming more and more excited about the upcoming duel. Enough time passed to where the two could no longer push aside what they both really wished to talk about.

"That _is_ a millennium item, right?" they both asked each other bursting into laughter at the rapidity and unusualness of their out-of-the-blue question. _Now_ they had something to talk about.

Note: Reviews would be greatly appreciated ^_-


	5. Chapter 3: Millennium Items Hold Trust

Disclaimer: You should know by now that I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh

**Chapter Three – Millennium Items Hold Trust**

Yugi led Serena to one of the parks nearby and the two of them sat down on a bench and faced each other. They were both interested in what the other had to say about their millennium item.

"I don't know much about the millennium items, except from my dreams. In my dreams, a man who called himself Shadi would sometimes come and speak to me and tell me about the different millennium items; mainly, he spoke about mine. He told me I was destined to have it. But he also told me of the millennium eye because it is the one my uncle has, and the millennium puzzle," Serena began, slowly opening her heart up. "After my mother's death, I had a hard time trusting people, and I still do. It takes a lot to have me trust in someone, but I know I can trust you Yugi, and Téa and everyone else you've introduced me to. In my most recent dream, Shadi told me the bearer of the millennium puzzle would be the first person I would learn to trust here in Domino City. I didn't place it until a little while ago, but I finally recognized your item as the millennium puzzle."

Yugi smiled at her. _This sounds sort of familiar Yami. Shadi came to me in a dream and told me about a girl with a dark past and how she would learn to trust in me and my friends._ "What does your item do?" he asked, unsure of what to call it.

Serena laughed gently. "It's called the millennium ruby necklace. If it's sought after for any reason, it's more than likely for the ruby. And as for what it does, earlier, you were thinking I thought you all were a bunch of nuts, which I don't."

_Yami! She can read my mind…_"So, you can read minds then," he stated matter-of-factly, knowing very well she knew his thought.

"Yes…but earlier, that was a complete accident. I only use it when absolutely necessary…or when I truly want to know what someone thinks…well, and sometimes it does it on its own. But, it really isn't my place to pry into people's minds, and I don't use it when dueling either. So tell me about your millennium puzzle."

Yugi began from the beginning, his story longer than Serena's. Every little detail caught her attention: from the time when he put the puzzle together, to the time when he first learned the spirit's name, to how it helps him in dueling.

~*~*~*~*~

Seto Kaiba sat at his desk, his eyes never leaving the computer screen. His life had become duel monsters and technology, but he never forgot his younger brother. He was scanning through the list of duelists who would be competing in the upcoming Battle City Tournament, when his eyes suddenly stopped on one name in particular; one he recognized slightly. "Mokuba!" he yelled for his brother, his eyes still on the screen as he opened up the file on the duelist.

"Yeah Seto?" Mokuba asked as he popped his head in his older brother's office.

"What is this?" Kaiba asked; his voice cold with anger.

"It's a profile on a duelist?"

"Who approved her?"

Mokuba walked in the room and looked at the name. "Serena Pegasus" it read on the top in big bold letters. Her picture was below it on the right hand side; she was blonde haired with mysterious blue eyes. Her credentials were opposite the side of her picture, as well as her age, her birth date, and why she believed she should be allowed to duel in the tournament.

"I guess I did Seto, why?"

"Why Mokuba? Did you read her last name?" Kaiba asked; his voice still cold.

Mokuba looked at it again. "Pegasus," he read aloud. For a moment, his mind drew a blank, until he remembered Maximillion Pegasus and how he had tried to overtake KaibaCorp. "I'm sorry Seto. I don't remember every duelist I approved, but her credentials must have been good. We don't approve by name, remember?" Mokuba said, instantly defending himself.

_We could have made one exception to the rule,_ his brain mumbled, but instead of speaking his thoughts, he excused his brother and scanned her duelist recommendation that had been sent in with her packet.

"…Serena is the daughter of Celeste Pegasus (deceased) and the niece of Maximillion Pegasus…She is an amazing duelist from what I have witnessed throughout the past few years. She shows great qualities and never boasts about being the top duelist in her school…One of her dreams, she claims, is to duel Seto Kaiba, the host of the Battle City tournaments and one of the greatest duelists in the world…She believes she will accomplish this dream by making it to the Battle City finals…"

Kaiba stopped and laughed mockingly. _Oh she'll duel me, I'll make sure of that,_ he thought sardonically, _but she won't win._

Kaiba stood up and looked once more at the address listed for Serena. He would find her and get more information from her. If she was anything like her uncle, she was after his company. "Mokuba, I'm going out," he said as he passed the room his brother was in. He glanced in quickly as he saw cards spread out on the floor. It was obvious his brother was coming up with strategies for his first Battle City tournament.

~*~*~*~*~

An hour had passed, and Yugi had just finished his story on his millennium puzzle. As he finished, he noticed Serena's eyes looked deep in thought, so he sat there, quietly waiting for her to say something.

"I could have just read your mind and saved you a lot of breath," she said momentarily, her eyes suddenly teasing.

"But wouldn't it look strange to have two teens staring at each other and not saying a word, especially since one of them is a girl and girls are known to talk a lot," Yugi joked back.

Serena laughed softly as she focused her eyes back on Yugi. "If they were watching us, they would think otherwise. Yugi…can I tell you something?" Serena said quietly, her eyes darkening from sadness.

"What is it Serena?" He asked, worried for his new friend.

"I've never told anyone this before; I've tried so hard to block it from my memory. I suppose part or my reason was that I've found it hard to trust people, but I feel like I can easily trust you. Yugi…my mother didn't just die…she was…" Serena stopped and lowered her voice considerably. "My mother was murdered," she said in a hoarse whisper.

"Serena…" he said, his mind at a loss for words.

Another hour passed as Serena told Yugi more in depth details of her mother's death, conveniently forgetting to mention the scar that was hidden on her neck and that she had heard the gunshot in the night. It was too painful for her to say aloud, too painful to even think.

"Please don't tell anyone Yugi…" she said, crystal teardrops slowly ending their descent down her face.

"I won't Serena, I promise," he replied, giving her a small smile. _Yami?_

_I don't know what to say Yugi, she's leaving something out, but don't press her for it. It seems it was hard enough for her to tell you this much._

_I know Yami. _"Come on; let's go back to the game shop. I'll give you a practice duel," Yugi said, hoping to lighten the mood. It did.

"Alright Yugi, but I know you have some real good cards, so go easy on me," Serena said lightheartedly.

"Being Pegasus' niece, I'd think you'd have all the good cards." The two of them laughed at this and made their way back to the game shop.

As they neared the game shop, a tall teen with dark azure eyes and short russet hair bumped into Serena. He mumbled an apology and would have continued walking on, had he not seen the boy she was with. "Yugi," he acknowledged.

"Hey Kaiba," he said quietly. After Yugi had freed Mokuba's soul, saved Kaiba from his virtual reality game, and fought selflessly to free Joey's mind, Kaiba had respected Yugi more, but was still cold-hearted and self-centered, except when it came to Mokuba; and he still had a self-dependant attitude.

"You," he said; his voice cold with anger, as he acknowledged Serena.

Serena didn't have to ask, she could read his mind. He was angry his brother had approved her to duel in the Battle City Tournament, angry that she was related to Pegasus. She read deeper into his mind. It wasn't merely because she was related to Pegasus, but because Kaiba still held the anger in his heart of those many years ago when her uncle had tried to overtake KaibaCorp and had placed Mokuba's soul within a card. He was angry at _her_ for crimes she did not commit.


	6. Chapter 4: Meet Kaiba: Arrogant:::

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, yadda yadda yadda

Note: I'm having problems fitting the complete chapter titles in…so whenever there is ":::" after a title, it means there's more to the name…just so you all know. (It was bugging me to no end ^_^)

**Chapter Four – Meet Kaiba: Arrogant, Self-Dependant Man**

"Me?" Serena asked as if she didn't understand what was going on. Acting came in handy when she knew things she shouldn't.

"Yes, _you_; how did _you_ get accepted into _my_ Battle City Tournament?" Kaiba asked; his voice cold and demanding.

"Well, I sent in my application and I assume I was accepted because I received a packet a week and a half later Mr. Kaiba," Serena said innocently and truthfully.

_Mr. Kaiba? _"Who accepted you? It wasn't me," he continued, annoyed at the innocence this girl was portraying. _It's just a face; she's here to take over my company_.

"I assure you Mr. Kaiba that I am not here to take over your company. I'm not sure who accepted me; the return label had 'KaibaCorp' written on it. As for calling you 'Mr. Kaiba,' I learned it was the proper term to call someone you do not know," Serena shot back at him, her voice unfaltering.

Kaiba was astounded at how she did not waver and how she knew his thoughts. _That must mean she really is here to take over my company. You can never trust anyone who spends their time with a ruthless man like Pegasus._

"Mr. Kaiba," Serena said, interrupting his thoughts, "my uncle is not a ruthless man; over the years, he has changed. Losing my mother and his wife was hard on him, but everyone deserves a second chance. And I assure you once again that I do not wish to take over your business but that I am here simply to duel. If it would make you more comfortable, I will turn in my duel disk and locater cards and leave Domino City."

"Serena," Yugi said, astounded at how easily she seemed to give up, yet she didn't look like someone who was giving up. She looked like she was fighting due to the fire in her eyes.

_I want to know how she knows my thoughts_, Kaiba's mind angrily yelled. "That will not be necessary _Miss. Pegasus_," he said semi-mockingly. _I need more information from her, but I can't get it with Yugi around._ "Miss. Pegasus," he began, trying to keep his voice cool and calm.

"Yes Mr. Kaiba?" Serena said, awaiting the question she expected to fall from his lips. She found it hard to not taunt this self-dependant jerk.

"I must apologize for my rude behavior, perhaps I can make it up to you over dinner."

"That would be nice Mr. Kaiba; I accept," Serena said, light dancing around her eyes as she held in her laughter.

"Tonight as six," he said, and continued down the street, his mission accomplished.

"Mr. Kaiba," Serena called after him, a small grin playing on her lips. She persisted as soon as she saw him turn around. "Is this formal or casual?"

"Formal, _Miss. Pegasus_," he called back smugly and sauntered down the street.

As soon as he was out of sight, Serena burst into laughter as if she had just been told the funniest joke in her life. "I take it he is always that cold?"

"Unfortunately," was Yugi's grim reply as he opened the door and they entered the coolness of the air conditioned game shop.

_I'll see you tonight Mr. Kaiba. I'm sure you know exactly where I'll be. You wish to learn information because you think I am a spy for my uncle. You _will_ learn alright, Mr. Kaiba. You will learn that the world does not revolve around you, Seto Kaiba._


	7. Chapter 5: Dinner with Kaiba

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, yadda yadda yadda

**Chapter Five – Dinner with Kaiba**

"You have a date with Kaiba?" Téa asked, surprised at the news she was told the moment she walked in the door of the game shop.

"Yep. Mr. Seto Kaiba wishes to 'make up for his rude behavior over dinner.' This will be most interesting," Serena said, smiling angelically. The truth was that she had never been out with any guy before, regardless if it was an apology dinner.

"Where's he taking you?" Téa continued her questions, eager to know all about Serena's first encounter with Kaiba.

"He didn't tell me that, I don't think he even knew at the time, but he did tell me, after I inquired of course, that it was formal. I suppose I'll have to go find something formal since I didn't bring anything with me. Will you help me Téa?"

"Of course."

"Now?" Serena laughed slightly.

"I'm going to find Joey, you two have fun," Yugi chuckled as he walked out the door. _I hope she's careful; Kaiba isn't always safe to be around, especially when he's angry and Serena's last name certainly seems to make him angry._

_I will be, Yugi._ Serena smiled as her and Téa went the opposite direction, in search of a formalwear shop. "I've never done this before."

"Shop for a formal dress?" Téa asked, a little surprised considering Pegasus was her uncle.

"Well, that, and go somewhere with a guy, excluding my tour around town with Yugi. This should be interesting though. I really want to blow him away, if you know what I mean."

"I think I know what you mean," Téa said, a small laugh escaping her throat. "Here, this place has tons of formal dresses."

Like two children on Christmas morning running to find their stocking hanging over the chimney, full of gifts and presents, Téa and Serena, giddy with excitement, went inside the shop to search for the perfect dress.

~*~*~*~*~

A soft knock was heard on the door of the apartment, announcing the arrival of a guest. Serena scrambled around to make sure she looked stunning enough to make Kaiba wonder what hit him.

"Kaiba," Téa uttered quietly, not expecting anything in return. Without even looking at him, she walked off; calling over her shoulder that Serena would be there in a minute.

"It's him," Serena said, voicing her thoughts. _I wonder what he's thinking right now…_an evil look passed over her face quickly, as she pushed the thought aside, focusing on the real reason why she even had a "date" tonight.

"It's him," Téa said, confirming what Serena already knew. "You know you're way back, right?"

"I'm sure I do, but if I don't, I'm sure Kaiba does," Serena said, looking at herself one last time.

"You look fine. Trust me, now go; he's not a patient person."

Serena grinned. "I figured that out already, that's why I'm taking my time; to teach him patience." She winked, and walked slowly to the small living room where Kaiba had taken a seat.

Kaiba heard footsteps and figured it was just Téa. Serena seemed to be taking her time and he wanted to get down to business and find out the real reason why she was there. The footsteps stopped slowly, but Kaiba didn't move. Instead of prying into his thoughts, Serena decided to get his attention.

"Are you always this rude?" she said bluntly, causing Kaiba to jump up and face her.

A slight flush went up in his cheeks as he looked at the girl before him, astonished at how beautiful she was. She wore a classy midnight black gown which was covered with sapphire rayon. The color of the gown accentuated her sparkling eyes. Her gravity defying bangs still hung in her eyes, but her medium length blonde hair was wrapped in an up-do by a tiny diamond circlet. She stood there as he looked at her, a small grin playing upon her lips. Kaiba stood there as if he were in a trance. _Pegasus is not supposed to have a niece this beautiful. Seto! What are you thinking!_ He finally muttered something inaudible to her ears.

Serena laughed softly; she was enjoying herself. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" she asked innocently, knowing very well what he had said, but enjoying putting him at unease.

"I said," Kaiba began, "we need to go." There wasn't any way he was going to tell Serena he thought she looked nice.

~*~*~*~*~

Kaiba led her into a quaint, yet luxurious restaurant. He walked straight to the front of the waiting line of people, with Serena at his side, slightly flushed from trying to keep up.

"Ah, Mr. Kaiba, right this way," the manager said, leading Kaiba and Serena to a secluded table. He took their drink order and left.

The two sat in silence; Serena felt uncomfortable at Kaiba's intense scrutiny and was thankful for the interruption when the waiter came with their drinks and took the order from Kaiba.

"So tell me why you are _really_ here," he said, finally breaking the silence, his voice cold.

"I told you Mr. Kaiba, I'm here to duel," she responded evenly.

"Are you _really_?" he asked as he leaned back in his seat, his eyes narrowing.

"Mr. Kaiba, I assure you that I am indeed here to duel and find my way into the finals, not to take over your company. If you knew anything of my past, you would understand that corporations and business and money are no where in my list of priorities; you would also know that I am, in no way, like my uncle. If this will assure you any: I spent my first two years of life in his home under the close watch of my mother. We then left, and I never saw my uncle again until I was six. And even then, it was only for two weeks, because he sent me to a boarding school where I have been for the past ten years. I saw him once during that time, after being there one year," Serena said, her voice emotionless yet forceful and truthful.

_I suppose she could be right…having not grown up with Pegasus, it would be hard for her to pick up on his habits._ He leaned closer to the table, unsure whether to believe Serena or not."How do I know you are telling the truth and that Pegasus did not send you here?"

"Tell me Mr. Kaiba, do I look like I am lying?" she asked, her voice unfaltering.

"No, I don't suppose you do. I apologize, Miss Pegasus," he replied as he once again leaned back in his seat, his voice sounding completely sincere yet still hard.

"Now that we have that cleared up, may I proceed with a question?"

Kaiba frowned; he didn't like what she could possibly ask him, but maybe this once, it would be alright. No one said he had to answer. "Go ahead."

"First, please call me Serena; 'Miss Pegasus' causes me to feel old. Now Mr. Kaiba –"

"Take the 'Mr.' off my name, and I'll consider it."

Serena chuckled quietly; this man was insufferable yet amusing to her. "I'm sorry, _Kaiba_," she said, stressing his name. "May I inquire as to what has caused you to be so hard hearted?"

"Excuse me?" he asked, slightly taken aback.

"Well, it is quite obvious you do not trust anyone but yourself. But beyond that, your voice gives it away, as do your eyes. It is said eyes are the window to the soul, in your case, I must agree."

"I do not know what you are talking about," he said coolly. _She dares to question me? She seems to not care about my millions or my business, but strangely enough, about my…heart?_ He narrowed his eyes.

_Two can play this game, Seto Kaiba._ "I am sorry, forget that I asked. But, so you know Kaiba, all masks on my end are down."

Kaiba nodded slightly, but did not comment. Silence reclaimed the table as their food was placed before them. Serena focused her eyes before her, not wanting to look up into the cold eyes of Seto Kaiba.

_He does have beautiful eyes Serena, even if they are full of coldness,_ she told herself quietly, her cheeks flushing slightly. _I can't trust him…he refuses to trust me and I will show him the same courtesy. Regardless of how handsome he may appear to be, his heart is as hard as stone. I wonder what he is thinking right now…_

_I wonder why she won't look at me; it is as if she has something to hide. Maybe she does, considering she bears a millennium item, or maybe it is just the insignia. If it's anything like Yugi's, she could bear an alter-ego, but hers may not be so nice. She does look beautiful, but I refuse to go soft. She is just another girl, another duelist – one that I must defeat, regardless the cost._

Serena stopped listening to his mind; she didn't want to know where he may go with that. She hated to admit it to even herself, but she _was_ having a decent time, now that he wasn't saying anything rude. In fact, he wasn't saying anything at all.

"Dessert Mr. Kaiba?" the waiter asked, removing their empty dinner plates from the table.

Kaiba considered this, and then looked at Serena. "Ask her," he said, tossing his head towards Serena, his voice not showing any emotion.

For a moment, Serena was stunned, but she quickly recovered by declining the waiter._ Maybe…_she refused to finish her thought. Kaiba was just another one of those callous, cold, insensitive, self-centered jerks. If he dared to care about anyone, it would be himself.

~*~*~*~*~

"Thank you for accompanying me to dinner," Kaiba said as he walked Serena to the door of Téa's apartment, his voice sounding as if he were conducting business.

"And thank you for inviting me," Serena replied in the same manner, but she smiled into his eyes as they stopped before the door. "I honestly did have an…enchanting time. It made my first day here in Domino…interesting."

Kaiba stood there, looking down into Serena's eyes. An emotion swirled up inside of him like a hurricane and before he could register what he was doing, he cupped her chin and stared straight into her soul. "I hope I'll see you again," he mumbled softly as he brushed his lips against hers and turned to walk away.

Serena knew she had responded to the kiss and her face had lit up like a beacon. _What was he thinking?_ He mind cried out in confusion. The one moment he showed any emotion was in the wrong way and definitely the wrong time.

_What was I thinking?_ He chastised himself and picked up his pace, hoping to be away as quickly as he could. He allowed emotions to get the best of him and wound up making a mistake. She was just another duelist, a naïve child; he would not get involved in any way with her except to defeat her in dueling. He could not trust her anyways; he could trust no one except himself. That was how it had always been, that is how it would remain.

"Kaiba," she called, her voice soft and radiant like an angel's.

He turned slightly, refusing to look at her. He had made a mistake kissing her, a large one. Now she was probably reading more into it than what it was.

"Thank you for allowing me to remain a competitor in the Battle City Tournament, it means a lot to me." With that said, Serena slowly opened the door to the apartment and went in, a deep sign residing within her. She knew she shouldn't have expected his heart to have changed so quickly, but she too had let her emotions take advantage of her. She turned around and looked out the window, watching Kaiba walk to his limo and tried to listen to his clouded thoughts.

_She is just another duelist, that's all. I was a fool to let my guard down for one second. I should have just dropped her off, but I had to be somewhat of a gentleman for her and take her to the door. I do have a reputation to uphold. I doubt she'll say anything, but that's the last time I let my guard down. I don't think she read into that anymore than what it was. But there did seem to be something more in her words, like she wanted to say something else, but decided not to. I am a fool. I will not trust anyone, let alone her. The next time I see her will be when I defeat her in a duel!_

Serena quit listening to his thoughts, she knew only crude thoughts about her would follow. She would show him she was more than he thought she was. She would prove that she was nothing like her uncle once was. But more than anything, she would prove to Seto Kaiba that she was a master duelist. He was just another everyday jerk. He cared for no one but himself and she was a fool to allow herself any fancying of another sort. Regardless of what she told herself, she did feel a longing in her heart that there was someone caring deep inside of him and that the kiss had meant more. As she watched the limo drive off, her eyes began to shine with the ache of unshed tears.

A/N: Just so you all understand, even though Kaiba may be a vindictive person on the outside, he still is human and allowed him to get caught up in his emotions and the moment, thus partially why he kissed her. ^_- Maybe he just can't admit that the hard hearted Seto Kaiba is only a mask. O_o


	8. Chapter 6: Begin: Battle City Tournament

Disclaimer: I only own the story line, my original characters, my imagination…ah, I guess it's easier to say "I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh"

**Chapter Six – Begin: Battle City Tournament**

_The tournament begins today, I've got to find someone to duel Yami._

_Take Serena with you, I doubt she'd want to roam the city alone, and I would like to meet her. She'd get to see the 'puzzle in action,' so to speak._

_I think Kaiba would be part of the reason she won't want to be alone. She didn't say much about their little dinner together. I wonder what happened._

_Maybe she'll tell you, just give her time Yugi._

"Yugi, Serena is here," his grandpa called from down the stairs.

"Coming Grandpa!" _It sounds like she's alone._

"Hey Yugi, I was hoping I could go with you today," Serena said as soon as she saw his face.

"Sure Serena, I'm anxious to see you duel."

Serena smiled at her friend. In just one week, she had grown close to all her new friends, especially Yugi. Aside from their love for duel monsters, they also shared a common bond over their millennium items.

"Téa, Tristan, and Serenity went with Joey about an hour ago. He said he wanted to get an early start. I figured I'd come here to see if I could tag along," she said, reading his mind on the whereabouts of their other friends.

"Then let's go; I'm sure there are already a lot of duelists out there looking for a battle with a new competitor."

"I'm not new with duel monsters, just the whole duel disk," Serena said lightly, holding up her arm where her disk was strapped, her deck firmly in place.

"Then you're in for a surprise, come on," Yugi said, strapping his duel disk on and walking out the door, Serena close behind.

~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, Yugi Motou!" a voice called out among the crowds of people. Yugi looked around for a familiar face, not sure who he was looking for. He didn't have to look for long because the owner of the voice made his way up to him. "You don't know me, but I've heard all about you and your dueling skills. By the way, my name is Darrin."

"Hi. It looks like you already know my name, so let me introduce you to my friend Serena," Yugi replied.

"You're a duelist too?" Darrin asked her, his eyes lighting up as he noticed her duel disk.

"Yes," she said quietly.

"Can I battle you?"

Serena smiled and looked to Yugi who smiled back. "Alright."

"You must be a pretty good duelist to be hanging out with Yugi, and I don't want to be out of the competition yet, so how about we wager one locator card and our rarest card."

"I'm not quite as good as Yugi," Serena corrected him, "And I agree to those terms. I don't wish to be out of this competition any time soon."

"Alright!" Darrin cheered. "Then it's time to duel."

_We each start with 4000 life points, which leaves room for only one error if I'm foolish enough to make it. I know I can win this duel; I've got Yugi's support, and everyone else's, even though they aren't here. It's time to duel!_

~*~*~*~*~

"What's this?" Kaiba said as he looked down below him from the chopper's window. He pulled out his laptop and typed in the location, wondering who was dueling below him. "Serena," he said quietly. He hadn't seen her since he took her to dinner. She still had 4000 life points while her opponent had already lost 900. _It must have just begun._ "Land on the nearest building, I want to watch this duel," he said to the pilot

~*~*~*~*~

"I play one card face down and end my turn," Darrin said, looking across the "playing field" at Serena.

_Alright…my Swords of Revealing Light is gone, meaning he can attack this next turn. I can take a chance and attack his Ancient Elf, but he's played a trap card I'm sure. I could read his mind, but that would be cheating._ Serena drew a card, and her eyes smiled. _This is just the card I need._ "First, I sacrifice my Mystical Elf and my Petite Angel and summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon in attack mode. I then play my Heavy Storm which destroys your face down card. Blue Eyes, attack his Ancient Elf!" Serena smiled, her mind tapping into Yugi's.

_The Blue Eyes White Dragon? I thought there were only four of those and Kaiba has three and Grandpa's was torn._

Her smile widened; being related to the creator of duel monsters _did_ have its advantage. "But that's not all," she said as she watched Darrin's life points drop from 2500 to 1450 as his Ancient Elf was destroyed. "I also play Dancing Fairy in defense position and this card face down, and of course, end my turn."

"A Blue Eyes," Kaiba said quietly as he pulled his deck out from his duel disk. All three of them were still in there. _Where did she get it? Unless Pegasus had another one made just for her…but why would he do something like that for her unless he actually has changed like she said._

Darrin looked at the cards he had in his hand. There weren't many options because Serena's Blue Eyes was too strong for any of the monsters he held. He only had one card he could play that would give him a chance to make some damage on her life points, if only he knew what was under that face down card and had a monster with a strong enough defense. "I play Change of Heart which allows me to control one of your monsters for one turn; I choose your Blue Eyes," he said. "Destroy her Dancing Fairy and then attack her life points directly!"

Serena shook her head. "You forgot too easily about my face down card. Reveal face down card!" Serena yelled and she smiled. "The card is called 'Multiply.' My Dancing Fairy will continue to multiply throughout the remainder of the duel; no matter how many you destroy, they will continue to grow, creating an army."

_Where have I seen a move like this before? Yugi! He used it with his Kuriboh against my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon,_ Kaiba thought astonished. _He must have told her about it._

"And, seeing as how your turn has ended and that was the only move you made and that my Blue Eyes is back in my possession…Blue Eyes, attack his life points directly!"

Kaiba watched from above as Serena's opponent's life points dropped to zero. He had made it close to the finals in the last tournament according to his computer. Was it possible that Serena was a decent duelist? _She has a Blue Eyes; now we have something more to duel for._ He narrowed his eyes and glanced down once more before climbing back into the chopper and heading for his office. He would definitely keep a close watch on her duels so he could learn her strategies.

"You beat me, congratulations," Darrin said, shaking hands with Serena. "I believe I owe you this. Next time, I won't go so easy on you." He handed her one locator card and his Hyozanryu which she had sent to the graveyard a few turns earlier with a Dark Hole. 

"Thank you," Serena said, a small laugh escaping her lips and her eyes smiling, "Good luck with your other duels."

"You too Serena," Darrin said, walking off.

"You did great Serena. I expect to have to battle you in the finals," Yugi said, looking at her new card. "Where did your Blue Eyes come from?"

"My uncle; it has always been one of my favorite cards, and so he had another one made for my sixteenth birthday, which wasn't all that long ago. Plus, he found out one of the four had been torn apart…so he thought he'd make it to where there were four playable Blue Eyes once again."

"That's great. Now you're one step ahead of me. Come on, I have to find someone to duel," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her down the street.

"Ok Yugi," she laughed, catching her balance.

In their excitement, neither of them noticed a dark clothed figure among the crowds watching Serena closely. His black cloak nearly covered his face, but his eyes shone through, evil evident in them. _En__joy__ your life while you can my daughter, for it will soon be taken from you. You've grown into a skilled duelist, but you won't be skilled enough to defeat my servants. We'll soon meet again, my child, only this time, you won't leave me…alive._


	9. Chapter 7: Encounter with Kaiba

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, yadda yadda yadda

**Chapter Seven – Encounter with Kaiba**

"That was some battle, eh Yug?" Joey asked his best friend as they walked along the streets of Domino, battles happening all around.

"That it was Joey," Yugi replied, his eyes glancing over at Serena. It was just the three of them because the others had things they needed to do. Serena had remained quiet during Joey's duel. It didn't even seem like she was paying much attention to it, but rather to something, or someone, else.

~*~*~*~*~

_She stared at him from across the crowds, trying to remember where she had seen him before. He was dressed in a dark cloak, his face barely visible, but his eyes; she had seen those eyes. Whether in reality or a nightmare, she knew she had seen them before._

_He looked at her, his eyes narrow, cold, and evil. A sinister look played upon his face. It was enough to cause her to look away._

_Serena glanced back to where the man had been, only to find he had disappeared. He hadn't been wearing a duel disk, but the three men standing beside him, dressed in lighter black cloaks were. They must have been his…followers or something. She shivered lightly as she felt a hand on her shoulder._

_"Are you ok Serena?" Yugi asked, his eyes overflowing with concern._

_She smiled at him and nodded her head. "I'm fine Yugi, thanks."_

_The image of the man's eyes flooded back to her and she shuddered. She didn't understand why, but try as she might; she had been unable to read his mind. There was something very malicious and wicked about him. _

~*~*~*~*~

"Serena, are you in there?" Yugi asked, waving his hand in front of her eyes. They had stopped walking as she had done, but her eyes were far off in space.

She didn't respond, her eyes still seemed to be glazed over. She was still searching for who the man may have been.

"Allow me Yug," Joey said, pinching Serena's arm gently.

"Ouch!" she yelped, jumping and blinking a few times as her eyes focused on Joey. "You pinched me!"

"You zoned out," Yugi whispered and saw Serena's face turn pink.

"Sorry guys…"

"Come on, I'm starved and we're standing in front of a pizza place. Dueling makes me hungry!" Joey said, grabbing Serena's hand and dragging her along.

"Ok Joey, just don't pull my arm off in the process," she laughed as she forced her feet to move so she wouldn't fall over; Yugi right behind her. Neither of the three noticed Kaiba who had just turned the corner and was heading their way.

Kaiba heard a sweet laugh and his head shot up. There, not far away, was the girl who was making her way to the top, with already five locator cards; and she was the same girl who was haunting his thoughts. He saw her hand enclosed in Joey's and a sickening feeling washed over him. His eyes narrowed as he watched them walk, or rather run, into the pizza parlor. _What is she doing with that dog?_

Leisurely, he sauntered up the street to the pizza parlor. He was going to find out just why she was hanging out with someone who was far below her in dueling skills as well as in brains.

"Yeah, make that two large instead of just one," Joey said to the waitress who was taking their order.

As she was walking away Serena laughed. "Are you sure you can eat that much Joey? Two slices is enough for me and I doubt Yugi is a pig like you," she teased.

"Hey!" he said, "I'm hurt." Looking at Serena, he gave her his best impression of a wounded animal.

She laughed softly, "Aw, poor baby. Here, let me make it all better."

Kaiba opened the door and entered the restaurant. He spotted Serena right as she planted a kiss on Joey's cheek. His eyes lit up with anger as he saw Joey's face turn red and heard him say, "Ah man Serena, ya missed the lips."

Serena burst out laughing at Joey's comment. "Au contraire, Je n'ai pas manqué," she replied cunningly.

"Say what?" Joey asked, his face showing his confusion.

Serena laughed again and opened her mouth to translate for him, but was interrupted by another voice; one she could never forget.

"It means, 'On the contrary, I did not miss.'" All three pairs of eyes looked up at the speaker.

"Kaiba," Serena said softly, her eyes locked on his.

"What do ya want Kaiba? This was a perfect day until ya showed up," Joey spat at him angrily.

Kaiba ignored him, his eyes locked with Serena's. "Why do you spend time with a dog like him? She's out of your league Joey."

Serena stood up from the table, her eyes stern. "I'll be right back you two, feel free to eat without me," she said, grabbing Kaiba's arm and leading him away from Joey who was ready to attack. "Who do you think you are, insulting Joey like that?" Her eyes were throwing daggers at Kaiba and her voice was angry, but it didn't faze him.

"He's—"

"I don't care what you think of him Seto Kaiba; you have no right insulting my friend like that." Serena's voice had risen as she stated her point. "You don't even know him," she exasperated. "He's a wonderful person and if you weren't so wrapped up in yourself, maybe you'd realize that everyone else isn't below you like you think they are!"

Kaiba stared at her, his face emotionless, but his eyes gave way to his thoughts.

"What is so funny?" Serena asked, her face turning red in anger.

Kaiba smirked and made sure Joey was looking their way. He pulled Serena close and planted a passionate kiss on her lips, to which it seemed she gladly responded. He was actually losing himself in the moment when she pulled away and looked in his eyes which were still amused. "You look cute when you're mad," he said quietly and turned to leave.

"Kaiba, wait," Serena called after him and followed him out of the pizza parlor. "What was that?"

"Well, I believe it's called a kiss Miss. Pegasus," Kaiba replied, his voice now cold.

"Kaiba," she said softly, grabbing his arm gently.

"What do you want?" he asked as he faced her.

She looked up into his cold eyes and stared into his soul, begging for an explanation. "Why did you…kiss me?"

Slowly, he pulled her closer to him and gently kissed her forehead. "Because maybe I'm not as hard hearted as you think I am. Maybe I do care," he whispered hoarsely. He let her go and turned to walk away.

"One more thing," she said gently before he started to walk away. She leaned up to him and whispered emotionlessly in his ear, "Thank you for the kiss. But please, don't take advantage of my heart like that again…you could really confuse me."

Before he could even respond, Serena was back inside the pizza parlor, and made certain she wasn't crying. She knew he had kissed her to spite Joey, but she was almost certain there was more to it than just that.

She walked up to the table she had left her friends at and noticed that one of the pizzas was already gone and Joey was about to inhale the other one.

"So when's the wedding?" Joey asked as she sat down.

"Excuse me?" Serena replied, her face going white.

"Kaiba seemed to give ya a kiss that says 'I want you' so I was only asking."

"Oh no…" Serena covered her now bright red face with her hands. "Did you guys honestly see that?"

"We weren't the only ones, I think the whole pizza parlor saw it," Yugi said, a glimmer in his eyes.

"You guys…it isn't what you think," she said, ready to defend herself.

"We know that, Kaiba is unable to be caring," Joey said, inhaling a slice of pizza.

"You never know," Serena replied softly as she remembered his words, her fingers gently touched her lips. _Maybe he does care…_

~*~*~*~*~

"I'll see you two tomorrow!" Serena yelled as she hurried down the street in the opposite direction of Yugi and Joey. Despite their efforts, she had declined the need for an escort, claiming she was a big girl and could take care of herself.

She glanced up to the sky, watching the sun set off its bright color. Deciding that the sunset was too beautiful to miss, she sat down on the nearest bench and looked up, enjoying the picture before her.

"Sunsets are better when you have someone to share them with," a voice beside her said.

Startled, Serena turned to look at the person who had taken occupancy on the bench. He looked to be about thirteen or fourteen with long black hair. She returned his smile and looked back at the sunset.

"My name is Mokuba," the boy said, looking intently at Serena.

"Serena," she said quietly.

"Shouldn't you be watching the sunset with your boyfriend Serena?" he asked her curiously.

Serena laughed softly. "I don't have one."

Mokuba saw a faraway look come over her eyes as she said that. "Sorry," he said quietly.

"It isn't your fault. I'm just holding out for the one everyone calls uncaring. Shouldn't you be at home? It's getting late," she said, quickly changing the subject.

"I'm waiting for my brother. He had to go call someone. I guess its important business, which is why he told me to sit here while he was on the phone. Shouldn't _you_ be at home?"

"I will be soon, I don't live too far. I just wanted to watch the sunset."

"Do you duel?"

His question seemed to come out of the blue, but Serena realized she had her duel disk on. "Yea, I do."

"Me too. I'm only two locator cards away from making it to the finals. My big brother already has six. He's always in the finals; he's practically unbeatable."

Kaiba heard his brother talking to someone as he walked closer to the bench he had told him to wait at. He stood there, interest overtaking him at what he could possibly be talking about and with whom.

"I'm sure you'll make it to the finals Mokuba. Always have a back up plan to your strategy, but never forget to trust in the heart of the cards. I never realized I could make it this far into the finals, but now I'm only one locator card away and this is the first time I've dueled people who have had more experience than me. If you believe in yourself and your cards, you can make it." She smiled at the young boy who smiled back at her, nodding his head in agreement.

Kaiba knew the voice all too well. _Great, Mokuba is making friends with the only person who can turn me soft._ He turned away and closed his eyes. He truly did not want to face her right now. Especially after kissing her the way he did.

"This is my favorite card," Mokuba said, pulling it out of his deck and showing Serena.

"It's one of my favorites too," she replied as a soft breeze blew by. The breeze picked up and blew the card out of Mokuba's hand. _Evil wind!_ Serena stood up from the bench and ran after the card. As soon as she had it, she ran back to Mokuba, holding the card in triumph.

Forgetting about the curb where the bench sat, she tripped and landed on her knee. _Oy, I'm such a klutz sometimes!_

"Are you ok?" Mokuba asked her.

"I got your card," she groaned out handing it to him.

Kaiba heard laughter and immediately turned around. Mokuba was gone, but he could hear his laughter, and Serena's. He walked closer to the bench and saw they were sitting on the ground, Mokuba placing a card back in his deck.

"Mokuba?" he asked, unsure of what else to say.

Serena stopped laughing and closed her eyes. _Not now…please not now._

"Big brother!" Mokuba exclaimed, standing up.

_Big brother? Oh no…Kaiba…_

"Do you need any help?" The voice was directed towards her and it certainly wasn't a young teen, it was deeper and very masculine.

"No, I'm fine," Serena squeaked out, her face turning pink.

"My brother says you fell," he said, ignoring her reply. He squatted down beside her. She knew he was watching her and squirmed. "I'm going to watch you until you look at me," he whispered coolly, sending shivers up her spine.

Finally, she looked at him, and saw the amusement in his eyes for the second time that day.

"Let me help you up," he said, taking her hand and standing, pulling her up with him. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, noticing her wince.

"I scraped my knee, I'll be fine," she said quietly, sitting down on the bench.

"Let me take you home," he responded, and then quickly added, "Mokuba would be unhappy with me if I didn't."

"Alright," Serena sighed ruefully. "What are you doing!" she shrieked when she felt Kaiba's arms wrap tightly around her.

"Well, you had a little trouble standing, so I plan on saving you the trouble of walking and carrying you to the limo," he explained, a smirk on his face. Mokuba followed them, laughing.

_This day just gets more and more interesting. It's hard to be this close to him without…wait, what am I thinking!?_

~*~*~*~*~

"You like her don't you Seto," Mokuba stated rather than asked as they drove home after dropping Serena off.

When he didn't reply, Mokuba tried another approach. "She likes you."

"How would you know?" Kaiba asked coolly, his gaze focused straight ahead of him.

"She told me Seto. She said she was 'holding out for the guy everyone thinks is uncaring' and everyone thinks you don't care about anything except your company."

_He does have a point…but why would she care about me? There must be another guy…if it is Wheeler…but he is definitely not fitting the description. I wouldn't deserve her if she truly did care about me. She does create feelings in me I never thought existed…I don't understand what is happening to me._

As Kaiba closed his eyes to fall asleep that night, one phrase echoed in his mind: "Don't take advantage of my heart like that again…you could really confuse me."


	10. Chapter 8: Hello Again

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, yadda yadda yadda

**NOTE:** From what I've read, Kaiba loses his god card to Yugi during the Battle City Tournaments, but that's not how it's going to be in my story. In this story, Kaiba still has his god card. I wrote this chapter before I found out about that. (WB only just played the "Friends 'Till the End 4" episode, but I found this whole synopsis on the episodes up to like, 150, so yea) Anyways, read and please review ^_^

**Chapter Eight – Hello Again**

_"Kaiba?" he heard his name being called in an all too familiar voice._

_He turned around and stared straight into her eyes, his own cold and hard._

_"Hello again," she said gently, averting her eyes from his stony gaze._

_"What do you want?" he questioned her coldly._

_"You're the only one I can turn to. I need your help," she said quietly, falling to the ground as tears slowly consumed her._

_As she fell down and drew her knees to her chin, Kaiba noticed a long scar at the base of her neck. "What is that?" he asked, trying to show no concern yet still feeling alarmed._

_"What is what?" she asked, moving her hand to cover the scar she knew he had seen._

_"This," he said unwavering, moving her hand forcefully and inspecting the scar._

_"I…"_

_"Serena, tell me." He looked deep into her eyes and chose to let down his guard. Something inside of him was stirring to help her, to make sure she would be ok. He wanted to pummel the person who had done this to her._

_"It's just an old scar from when I was younger, it's nothing," she hedged, laughing nervously and looking away._

_"Don't lie to me," he said angrily, forcing her to look back into his eyes. "You are asking for my help so I expect the truth!"_

_Unchecked tears began spilling out of her eyes as she slowly stood. "It's from the man who is after this," she said, slowly slipping off her necklace and handing it to Kaiba. "Please, keep it safe."_

_"Serena, wait! I need an explanation!" he yelled, grabbing her arm before she could walk off. One look in her eyes, and he suddenly worried for her. "What about you?" he said softly, his true feelings shining through._

_"I will be safe Seto Kaiba." 'If only I could trust you.'_

_He heard her mind speaking to him, but he didn't understand how. "Serena!" he yelled to her as she slowly began to disappear._

_~*~*~*~*~_

_"Leave her alone!" Kaiba yelled angrily as he saw _her_ being thrown against a wall. The men then ran off as Kaiba hurriedly approached._

_"Kaiba…" Serena said weakly as she struggled to open her eyes._

_"Everything will be ok Serena. I promise."_

_She stared up into his calm, yet worried, eyes as he slowly picked her up and carried her away. She was injured badly and needed a doctor soon. The necklace she always wore on her neck was missing, but he didn't notice; all he noticed were the bruises and scratches. He didn't understand why, but he felt propelled to protect her. He still wasn't sure he could trust her, but maybe if she explained her past to him and why those men did that to her, he could. Maybe for once in his life, he could learn to depend upon another person._

_~*~*~*~*~_

_"Move!" Kaiba yelled as a man stood before them, blocking their path._

_"I think not Seto Kaiba. I am claiming my daughter's life," the man said, pulling a gun out. "Unless you tell me where the millennium ruby necklace is; then, I may reconsider."_

_"Don't tell him," Serena said weakly. "My mother died to protect me and this necklace's powers from falling into the wrong hands, now I will do the same." Her voice refused to falter as she straightened herself and stared into the eyes of her father._

_"Then prepare to die Serena Pegasus, my daughter."_

_'No,' Kaiba's mind screamed. He couldn't let her die; he had to protect her, somehow. A duel!_

_"Wait! I challenge you to a duel…to save Serena," he said, his eyes narrowing and cold._

_The man laughed cynically and appeared to consider it. "I accept this duel, Seto Kaiba, but know that when I win, not only does Serena die, but you die as well."_

_"Kaiba no…for this one time, please be selfish…Mokuba needs you!"_

_'You have to trust me Serena, I may not trust you, but I need you to trust me.'_

~*~*~*~*~

Kaiba sat up in his bed, his eyes darting around his room. It was the same dream he had had since he'd last seen Serena. Three different scenes, all different yet all seemed to somehow fit together. It was as if each was a different scenario, all of them revolving around Serena Pegasus and her necklace.

He laid his head back down against his pillow. It was just a dream – that was all. Dreams meant nothing; they were only pictures made by the eyes. _But, why do I keep on having the same one?_ He closed his eyes and there she was, looking at him. It was as if she were repeating the same phrase to him over and over again: "I cannot trust you Seto Kaiba because you cannot trust anyone but yourself. Putting trust in a man who trusts only himself can lead me to no where but devastation and foolish dreams that will be crushed."

He opened his eyes again and stared at his ceiling. _Why must she plague my dreams? I want to never think of her, and yet she doesn't leave my mind. It's as if she is right here…I wish she would just leave my mind. I can trust no one but myself. A dream cannot and will not change that._

~*~*~*~*~

Serena closed her eyes, trying to block out the images she had seen in her head. She didn't know where they came from, but she was more than sure it was a dream of Kaiba's.

She didn't mean to tap in to his mind; she didn't know how she had. And she most definitely didn't want to. She'd always thought she needed to be within close proximity to the person. But now she knew otherwise. _What a nightmare…_she thought solemnly, wondering why he was dreaming about her. _I don't even know my father…was he the man who killed my mother? Are these even just dreams?_ Confused agony was clouding her thoughts. _I can't trust him!_ her mind cried out in anguish. _I don't understand. It's as if I can sense them, coming for me and my necklace, and I know the only person I can trust to save me is Seto Kaiba…he has the power and resources to do so…I think…but I also know that I cannot trust in a man who can only trust in himself._

~*~*~*~*~

"Serena, ya gonna go with us?" Joey asked as soon as the door to the apartment opened.

Serena smiled over at Joey; he was kind of cute, and to top that off, he was a great person. "I'm not sure I'm going to go anywhere today Joey, I'm expecting something important to arrive at any minute."

"So important that ya can't leave?"

"Well…I guess so. It's a few of my uncle's strongest cards from his deck. I need them to help me duel. The competition is getting stronger as all the weaker duelists are losing their locator cards and I need stronger cards. I trust in the heart of the cards and all, but a monster with 1000 attack points doesn't fair up to one with 3000," she said, biting her lower lip. Her uncle wasn't just sending her any ordinary card; he was sending her the collection of Gate Guardian cards – Sanga of Thunder, Kazejin, and Sujin. By offering those three as a tribute, she would be able to summon Gate Guardian, a monster with 3750 attack points and 3400 defense points.

"You're thinking of when you're gonna battle Kaiba aren't ya?" He asked, seeming to catch on.

"Well…in a way. I know Kaiba has three Blue Eyes and when combined, they form the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. I also know he has Obelisk the Tormentor, which is one of the three strongest monsters. Yugi doesn't seem to use his Egyptian god card," Serena said, her thoughts slipping through her lips.

"Yug doesn't really like to use it because it's nearly impossible to beat. He's a fair duelist ya know; it's how he wins all the time. He doesn't trust the power of the cards but trusts in the heart of them, like me and you."

_You're right Joey, Yugi is a fair duelist, unlike Kaiba... I've kept up with his record; he's already got his six locator cards. He's used his god card and Blue Eyes in nearly every duel. He's a strong duelist, but he doesn't trust in the heart of the cards, like we do, and that's why he is unable to defeat Yugi; Yugi's trust in those cards is unbelievable and unbreakable. I know that if I trust in my deck, I can beat Kaiba, regardless of the card he chooses to play._

"So what do ya say?"

"Huh?" Serena asked, breaking away from her thoughts. "I'm sorry Joey, my mind got carried away."

"Are ya gonna go with us? Your package will be sittin' on the doorstep when we get back."

"I would love to Joey, but those cards are too important to leave sitting on a doorstep, even if they are in a package. Plus, my uncle is sending one of his men to bring it here directly and I already promised I'd be here. Maybe I'll catch up with you later," Serena declined him yet again.

"Alright, suit yourself. Téa, you comin'?" Joey asked, yelling down the hallway.

"Just a second Joey!" she yelled back.

A few minutes later, Serena was alone, staring out the window of the apartment. As she waited for her uncle's package to arrive with one of his servants, her mind couldn't help but wander back towards earlier that morning and the dream she had seen that wasn't her own. The scenes before her began to swirl and blend together as the images of the dream fled back to her.

~~~ _"Wait! I challenge you to a duel…to save Serena," he said, his eyes narrowing and cold._

_"I accept this duel, Seto Kaiba, but know that when I win, not only does Serena die, but you die as well."_

_"Kaiba no…for this one time, please be selfish…Mokuba needs you!"_

_'You have to trust me Serena, I may not trust you, but I need you to trust me.' _~~~

A knock on the door startled Serena out of her flashback. _Uncle Max's package!_ she thought as she ran to the door and opened it. "Thank you so much Charlie, this means more to me than you can imagine!" Serena exclaimed as she eagerly accepted the small box and bid her uncle's servant farewell.

She walked over to the couch, eager to look at her new cards when there was a knock on the door yet again. Slowly and feeling disappointed, she placed the box on the couch and went back to the door. She flung it open, wondering who it could be, but the person standing there had his back turned. She thought she could recognize him by his clothing, but she still wasn't sure. She coughed quietly, hoping to get this young man's attention.

He closed his eyes, wondering why he had come to her. He didn't want to see her, did he? No, he really didn't, not after the way they had acted a week or so before. The events of earlier that morning returned to his thoughts and he knew he had to speak with her, regardless of his pride; her very life depended on it.

Taking a deep breath and putting his hard exterior in place, he turned around and faced Serena, his eyes as cold as always. He was surprised to see her eyes stare at him with a seemingly cold expression of their own. Slowly, her eyes began to glow, but as quickly as the glow came, it left.

"Hello again," she said softly, her voice too kind for the expressions they were giving each other.


	11. Chapter 9: Death Threat Removes Mask

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, yadda yadda yadda

Note: Um...extreme change in character ahead ^_^

**Chapter Nine – Death Threat Removes Mask**

~~~ He closed his eyes, wondering why he had come to her. He didn't want to see her, did he? The events of earlier that morning returned to his thoughts and he knew he had to speak with her, regardless.

Taking a deep breath and putting his hard exterior in place, he turned around and faced Serena, his eyes as cold as always. He was surprised to see her eyes stare at him with a seemingly cold expression of their own. Slowly, her eyes began to glow, but as quickly as the glow came, it left.

"Hello again," she said softly, her voice too kind for the expressions they were giving each other. ~~~

"Can I help you with something?" Serena asked the harsh-eyed man standing before her.

He brushed past her and forced his way inside, bringing her with him, and shut the door, locking it. For a moment, she thought she saw something in his eyes, worry, concern, but it quickly past. She did notice that he searched the apartment and made sure all the windows were shut tight with their locks in place.

"What is going on Kaiba?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest and setting her eyes in a glare.

He looked at her, his eyes softening slightly. She had no idea her life was in danger. She had no clue whatsoever.

"Serena, I have to speak with you, but I can't do it here. I need you to come with me," he said emotionlessly, his eyes hardening, but his heart softening as he glanced into her gentle eyes.

"Why should I go with you?" she asked, her voice skeptical.

"I just need you to trust me." No sooner were the words out that he realized he had made a bad word choice. Why should she trust him, he gave her no reason to. Somehow, he already knew what she would say to him.

"Trust you? How can I trust someone who only trusts in himself? You ask me to trust in you and yet if someone were to ask it of you, you wouldn't; you've proved that to me recently. So tell me Seto Kaiba, why should I trust you and why can't you speak with me here?" Her voice was even to his tone and her eyes narrowed. Angrily, she turned her back towards him and looked out the window of the apartment. Strangely enough, the scene unfolding before them seemed to bear a minute resemblance to Kaiba's dream.

Slowly, he walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, drawing her closer to him. Instead of resisting, she allowed herself to be brought closer to a man whom she knew she was falling for, but wasn't ready to admit it to even herself. Hot tears burned in her eyes, falling one by one, creating a crystal trail as they fell from her eyes to the floor.

"Serena," he whispered hoarsely, nuzzling his face in her hair. "I know I give you no reason to trust me, but I need you to. Your life is in danger." _Why am I doing this? Why do I even care? Is it because what Mokuba said earlier is true? That somehow, I've managed to give away my heart?_

She swallowed hard and turned to face him. _I have to trust him…_ "How long do you plan on keeping me?"

_As long as it takes to keep you safe._ "We can return tonight, but I expect everything to be securely locked before you sleep," he said, ignoring his thoughts. Serena, however, pursued them.

"As long as it takes?" she questioned, her eyebrows rising.

"I didn't say that," he countered, his eyes narrowing.

"You didn't have to; your thoughts did all the speaking. May I have your word on returning tonight?"

"I promise, we'll return tonight, we just need to go. I have to speak with you." His words were urgent and for once, spoken as a person worried over another. He watched as Serena slowly nodded her head and without allowing her to change her mind, he grabbed her hand and headed for the door.

"Wait!" she said, trying to escape from his grasp. "I just need to get something and leave a note for Téa," she explained and found he slowly released her hand.

"Make it quick," he said curtly and she nodded.

She could feel his gaze on her as she grabbed her new cards and her duel disk and placed them in a bag. There was no way she was leaving them behind. Grabbing a pen and paper, she hurriedly scribbled a brief note for Téa, explaining she would return later that night. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her bag and walked up to Kaiba. "If you plan on not bringing me back here, I need to know."

"I'll bring you back Serena, but I don't know if I can allow you to stay after you understand what I must tell you," he said softly, placing a stray hair behind her ear. "Come on," he said, regaining his composure and grabbing her hand. He made sure the door was locked before he led Serena to the waiting limo, hoping desperately none of the men after her were watching.

~*~*~*~*~

"What's going on?" Serena asked when she could take the silence no longer.

"Your life is in danger," Kaiba replied softly, turning his body to face hers.

"I don't understand," she replied softly, confusion etched across the features of her face.

"If you have never believed a word I've said since the first time I met you, please believe me now," Kaiba pleaded, his voice still cold, but his eyes were anxious. He reached out and took her hands in his as he recalled the events of earlier that morning.

~*~*~*~*~

_"Ah, Mr. Kaiba, it is a pleasure to meet you," Corinth said, shaking Kaiba's hand and placing his brief case on his desk._

_"Make this quick, I have other things to do," Kaiba replied, highly annoyed with the man._

_"I believe I have something that would interest you. Information you've requested on Serena Pegasus."_

_His attention was focused and his eyes softened at the mention of a girl who was slowly changing him and bringing out his feelings. "What have you found?"_

_"Well Mr. Kaiba, it seems Miss Pegasus' story was true. She lived with her mother in her uncle's mansion until she was two. When she was six, her mother died. For two weeks, she lived with her uncle and then she was sent to boarding school," Corinth replied._

_"I knew that already man, tell me something I don't know," Kaiba's anger flared up. The man was wasting his time._

_"I could find no information on her from the time she left with her mother to the point when her mother died. Those four years remain a mystery to all except for the girl who experienced it. As for something you don't know," Corinth paused and opened his briefcase. He had spent over a month doing research on Serena since Kaiba had called him. He pulled out a file and handed it to Kaiba. "Her father's name is Jared Russell. He is now near forty years of age. I did more research on him and found out he has a group, or I should say 'tribe' of followers. Apparently, these followers listen to his every command. I have reason to believe he is after his daughter."_

_Kaiba sat in his plush leather chair, allowing this new spurge of information to sink into his skin. He wondered if Serena knew about her father, or if she even knew his name. "Continue," he said briskly._

_"Well Mr. Kaiba, I also researched Miss Pegasus' mother, Celeste Pegasus. I found that she never married and died of a gunshot wound. Police believed it to be murder, but had no suspects to look for because when they found her body, it was much decayed and the bullet was gone, but the hole was there. It had done enough damage to harm her and cause her to lose a lot of blood. There was no evidence pointing them in any particular direction."_

_Kaiba took a deep breath and closed his eyes. If Serena's mother was murdered…His thoughts were interrupted by the telephone. "Excuse me for a moment," he said, picking up his phone and turning his chair around._

_"Mr. Kaiba," a voice was heard, crackling through the static._

_"Speaking."_

_"If you don't get me what I want, I will kill Serena Pegasus and send her to a watery grave."_

_Kaiba's eyes filled with fire as he yelled into the phone. "Who is this?" he demanded._

_"That is my secret Mr. Kaiba. If you want her to live, I suggest you get me her millennium ruby necklace. I killed her mother, I can kill her too."_

_"Who are you?" he demanded again, standing to look out the window of his office._

_"You can't see me Mr. Kaiba, but I can see you. I know you did a search on Serena and you've found out by now that she never knew her father. Be careful Mr. Kaiba, my men are all over the city, on the lookout for her. She's already defeated one in a duel, but this next time, she won't be so luck. Once they find her and defeat her, you will never see her again." The voice crackled and the line was cut off._

_Kaiba slammed the phone down and instantly realized a death threat was made on Serena. As much as he wanted to remain steel, he couldn't help but feel worried. He had to reach her before her father did. Her father! That was the man Kaiba had just spoken with. "Thank you for your services Corinth, my secretary will send for your car. I have other business I need to take care of," he said coolly as he hurried out of the office._

~*~*~*~*~

"You did research on my past? You invaded my privacy," she said quietly, stunned, but strangely not the least bit annoyed. _Why?_

Kaiba sighed. "I'm a very secure person Serena. You were a mystery waiting to be discovered. You mentioned a part of your past, a very condensed version which caught my interest." He took a deep breath and looked straight into her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Serena sat there, not believing Kaiba had just apologized to her. She closed her eyes and reopened them, staring back into his. She was almost certain she saw Kaiba's eyes misting slightly. She decided to let her guard down this once and try to trust him; even if he wasn't a trusting person, he did seem to be trustworthy.

"I was sure he had gotten to you," he said quietly, squeezing her hand tighter.

Her lip trembled. Kaiba knew her past, more than anyone knew. She felt herself being pulled closer to him and his arms wrap around her tightly. She knew this was his way of telling her it was ok, and she let the tears fall. "I'm sorry," she choked out as his shirt was slowly becoming drenched with tears.

"I need you to tell me of your past Serena, it's the only way I can…the only way I can help you," he whispered, wiping the remainder of tears from her eyes.

"I don't know if I can do this…"

"You need to, I have to know Serena. I need to know."

His eyes locked with hers and for the first time, Serena saw the real Seto Kaiba. A kind, caring, gentle yet forceful man who put on a mask for the world; and here he was, taking down that mask and opening his heart for her, to save her.

She took a shaky deep breath as Kaiba took hold of her hands, squeezing them to let her know he was listening. _This is it…it's time to finally tell someone…help me Kaiba…because if you don't…then no one can…_


	12. Chapter 10: Revealing the Past

Disclaimer: We have been over this; I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh

**Chapter Ten – Revealing the Past**

"She wasn't there Master," a man spoke fearfully, bowing down.

"Where is she?" he demanded angrily. _Did Seto Kaiba heed my warning?_

"We do not know Master," another voice said. "There was no sign of her anywhere near the apartment."

"I want you to be there when she returns. Don't let her get away." His eyes were filled with fury. _I am surprised at Seto Kaiba; he has a soft spot for my daughter. His efforts won't be enough to save her. She has the necklace; I will get it from her and send her where I should have ten years ago. Ah yes, my darling daughter, I never said how long I would allow you to live. Tonight shall be your last._

An evil grin played upon his lips and he turned and looked out over the ocean. _Yes, tonight shall be your last._

~*~*~*~*~

Serena took a deep breath; this was not going to be easy. To trust Kaiba was one thing, to trust him with her heart was another, but to trust him with past; it was nearly unthinkable.

"I'm waiting," he said quietly, his voice seeming to grow cold and impatient.

~*~*~*~*~

_"Mommy, why do we have to move all the time?" three year old Serena questioned her mother as they packed their few belongings for the fourth time since they had left the safety of the Pegasus mansion and climbed into the car._

_"You'll understand when you're older darling," Celeste said, taking a deep breath and leaving behind their small home._

_"Why can't we go see Uncle Max?" Serena persisted._

_"Darling, we just can't. Uncle Max is a very busy man, you understand that?"_

_"Yes Mommy." She looked out the window and clutched her small teddy bear. Her uncle had given it to her when she was born, so she was told. It was the only memory she had of him._

_"Mommy?" Serena said quietly a few hours later as they continued driving._

_"Yes darling?" her mother replied tiredly, her eyes never leaving the road before them._

_"Where are we going?"_

_"Somewhere safe," Celeste replied quietly, trying to convince herself it was true._

_~*~*~*~*~_

_"Celeste, it is wonderful to see you." Serena peeked through the door to the tiny kitchen when she overheard a man's voice. _

_"Jared, what do you want? I thought I told you to leave us alone," Celeste said angrily._

_"I want to see my daughter," he said simply, moving the hood from his black cloak so he could see clearer._

_"She isn't your daughter anymore Jared. You ran out on me, on us, before she was even born. I've asked you to leave us alone. If you can't do that, I'll have to have the police settle it for me."_

_Jared's fist flew and slapped Celeste across the face. "You will not speak to me that way. Remember, I own you Celeste," he said cruelly, laughing at the red appearing on her face._

_"You do not own me Jared. Leave my house," she screamed at him, rushing for one of the kitchen knives and holding it for her defense._

_Jared laughed mockingly. "I'll return Celeste Pegasus. No matter where you are, I will find you."_

_~*~*~*~*~_

_"Mommy," Serena started as they were walking towards their new home. After six different homes, Serena had lost count._

_"Yes dear?" her mother said, looking for the key._

_"Who is that weird man over there?" she asked, pointing towards a man in a black cloak coming near them._

_Celeste fumbled with the lock and forced Serena inside. "Hide," she said quickly and closed the door. "What do you want Jared?"_

_"Celeste, you should know by now," he said, grabbing her arm tightly._

_"And you should know by now that you can't have her. She hasn't known you for five years, I intend on her never knowing you."_

_"My dear Celeste, no wonder I wanted you. You have fire, spunk." He pulled her close to him, a knife sliding into his hands. He pressed it against her neck and whispered in her ear. "Let me inside."_

_Slowly, Celeste opened the door. She was thrown inside and heard the door slam. Looking up, she saw something in Jared's eyes she had never seen before. She saw pure, evil darkness._

_"Now, I'm willing to make a deal with you," he said in a business-like tone as he took a seat on one of the chairs._

_Any deal he was willing to make would not be good, but Celeste was desperate. "What kind of deal?" she asked meekly._

_"It's like this Celeste. You can satisfy my needs and quit running, or, I can kill you right here in front of your daughter and take her with me. What will it be?"_

_"I will never be your slave!" she cried out. Jared just laughed and snapped his fingers._

_"Then your daughter will pay for you." He laughed as one of his men brought Serena kicking and screaming into the room. "It's your choice; you, or your daughter."_

_Celeste hung her head. She knew she was defeated._

_"I knew you would see it my way. I will return. Oh, and Celeste, don't bother running or telling your brother; you wouldn't want to endanger him or your little girl anymore than they already are."_

~*~*~*~*~

Serena took what seemed to be her millionth shaky breath. Reliving the terror of her childhood was hard for her, but so far, she had managed to hold in her tears. Kaiba had been so quiet during her explanation of her past; she seemed to almost forget he was even there.

_I used to think my past was the worst, but I never went through the hell she has._ Slowly, he pulled Serena closer to him as his arms wrapped around her tight. "It's alright, you're here right now," he whispered in her ear.

"I'm not finished," she said quietly, leaning her head against his chest.

"It's ok…you don't have to finish." For the first time in his life, Kaiba realized something. He had been classifying every person in the same group, a group that was below him. And then, Serena came. She didn't care about his name or his company or his money. She didn't care about his status. She seemed to care about the person inside. She had finally opened his eyes and he was beginning to put his trust in her – another person; something he'd never done before.

"No, Seto, I need to," she whispered, nearly inaudible to his ears. He was certain about one thing she had said though; she had called him 'Seto.'

She pulled away, much to Kaiba's dismay, and began to continue her story.

"For the next year, my mother was a servant for Jared, doing everything he asked of her, all in an effort to save my life. She stopped writing to my uncle because anything she would say to him would be a lie. I will never forget the day Jared killed my mother. My uncle had been doing a search on Jared, but no matter what he found, he could never reach my mother…I think he may have given up altogether. My mom wrote a letter to my uncle, explaining everything to him. He never did get the letter though." Serena paused as fresh tears formed in her eyes. "Jared found it, and that night, he killed my mother. He knew I would be too scared to say anything, and even if I did, no one would believe me. This necklace, it's the last memory I have of my mother. Jared was after it. My mother had kept it hidden from him and on the night she died, she gave it to me. I wear it around my neck as a constant reminder of my mother and her courage." She paused again and looked deep into Kaiba's eyes. "I never did understand why we continued to move from place to place; I never did understand everything that happened in my past and why it happened to me. I never did understand until I turned fourteen and it was as if everything was revealed to me; as if my necklace was showing me the images of my past, images I wanted so badly to forget," she murmured gently. 

Kaiba looked at the necklace and realized he had never seen her without it. "It's a millennium item," he mumbled more to himself than to Serena.

"It gives me the power to read minds," she said quietly, believing Kaiba to think her crazy.

"That's how you knew I thought you wanted to overtake my company." The light of understanding was beginning to dawn.

"Yes," she responded quietly, shifting her weight.

That's when Kaiba noticed it; a long scar on the base of Serena's neck which was normally hidden by the necklace. A wave of emotion came over him as the images from his dream flooded back to his memory. "What is that?" he asked coolly, his hand grabbing hers so she couldn't cover it up.

"What is what?" she asked innocently, knowing very well what he had seen.

_Don't make the dream come true, just tell me Serena._ "The—"

"The scar is from Jared. I received it the night he killed my mother. It's nothing Kaiba."

"Serena, can you trust me?" he began, calming himself.

"The question isn't if I can trust you, the question is, can you trust me?"

~*~*~*~*~

"She's not here Téa," Joey said, looking around the apartment.

"But where could she be? She said she wasn't going anywhere," Téa mused as she flopped down on the couch.

"Maybe this will help," Yugi said, holding a piece of paper up.

"What is it Yug?" Joey asked, grabbing the paper. "A note from Serena!" he answered himself.

"What's it say Joey?" Téa asked, trying to grab it from him.

"Let me read it," Yugi said, taking the note from Joey. "Téa, Kaiba came and said he needed to talk to me."

"She's with him?" Joey said disgusted.

Yugi ignored him and continued reading the note. "I don't know what is going on, but the look in his face tells me it isn't good and I'm in too much of a rush to read his mind. I'll return later tonight, but I don't know if I'll be staying. The only reading I can get from Kaiba's mind is that he feels a need to protect me from an imminent force of danger. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Serena."

"Do you think she's ok Yugi?" Téa asked worriedly.

"I'm sure she's fine Téa," Yugi replied, unable to conceal the worry showing on his face. _Yami?_

_She's fine now Yugi, but I sense danger; life-threatening danger. She's going to need us; now more than ever._


	13. Chapter 11: Nightmarish Dreams

Disclaimer: Sadly enough, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but it'd be nice if certain characters could come to life ^_-

**Chapter Eleven – Nightmarish Dreams**

"So what do we do?" Téa asked quietly. Fifteen agonizing minutes had passed as the three of them sat there in silence, each were thinking up their own stories of what could possibly make Kaiba come for Serena.

"I say we go look for her," Joey said, standing up swiftly.

"Joey, she could come back here any minute, we can't just leave," Téa replied, causing Joey to return to his seat.

"Then what do we do? Yug?" Joey turned and looked at Yugi who seemed to be lost in his own world.

_Yami, this is the one time the millennium ring would come in handy._

_I know Yugi…we're just going to have to trust Kaiba for now. Serena said in the note she'd return._

"I guess we'll just wait here for her," Yugi said, snapping back into reality. "Joey, call Tristan and have him be on the lookout for them." _Wherever she is, I hope she is safe._

~*~*~*~*~

Two dark figures stood in the growing darkness, their cloaks and magic concealing them from the view of the untrained eye. They were watching, waiting like two lions for the right time to strike. As soon as the girl returned, they would capture her. They did not question their master's actions, only responded by obeying. He owned them, their minds, their bodies, their souls. He could command them to do as he wished and they would act according to his word, no questions asked.

Yugi glanced out the window, looking for any sign of Kaiba and Serena. Instead, he sensed a dark force and thought he saw two dark figures looming in the distance, their eyes focused on the apartment. Almost immediately, Yugi tapped into the power of the millennium puzzle.

"They have come," Yami said, his voice holding back his anger. "They have come," he said yet again, causing Téa and Joey to tilt their heads in question. They said nothing, only sat there, waiting for the inevitable to happen.

~*~*~*~*~

Kaiba glanced out the window of the limo as it drove on in the darkening evening. The sun was setting, but the sunset wasn't even noticed. He slowly wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. His dream felt so real. Taking a deep breath, he looked down and forced a small smile. Serena was safe, in his arms.

He sighed and looked out the window again. He didn't know why or how, but he could sense evil. _If only I could take her away from here, but she insists on going back. I know I am bringing her to the center of danger, but she is stubborn and claims that if there really is danger, she will be able to face it; she refuses to run._

He looked back down at her as he felt her move restlessly in his arms. He noticed small beads of sweat forming on her forehead as well. He didn't understand what was happening, but he felt their minds connecting, and slowly, images appeared before him. They were clear and vivid; he knew them well. They were the same images he had seen only minutes before. They were the images of his dream.

~*~*~*~*~

_"Kaiba!" Serena screamed as two men grabbed her. "Let me go!"_

_"Serena!" Kaiba yelled back. He tried to run to her, but a force was holding him from doing so._

_"Let the girl go," a deep voice said calmly. 'It's alright Serena, everything will be alright.'_

_'Yugi?' Somehow, Serena was tapping their minds together and although her lips weren't moving, her mind was speaking to his._

_'It's Yami,' the pharaoh responded to her mind, his amethyst eyes turning on the perpetrators. "Let her go."_

_The two men looked at each other and back to Yami. Instead of letting Serena go, they tightened their grip on her, causing her to cry out in pain._

_"I listen only to my master," one of the men said blankly._

_'My only chance of understanding what is going on is to tap into their minds. I have to be strong. I have to,' Serena told herself as she looked at Yami and then to Kaiba._

_Time seemed to stand still as she broke into the stillness of their minds. She searched for their thoughts, but found none. It was as if their minds were controlled, as if they were thinking nothing. "It can't be," she whispered to herself, horror filling her eyes. "It's impossible!" she cried out._

_"Serena?" Kaiba questioned, his eyes growing cold as he looked at the men holding her tightly. 'Why do they just stand there?'_

_"Everything is possible," a dark voice said as a man appeared before them. He was dressed in a black cloak. It was the same man Serena had seen when she saw Joey duel for the first time._

_"What do you want with her?" Kaiba cried out, feeling the restraints tightening around him as he tried to break free._

_"What I have longed to take for many, many years," he stated simply, approaching the men holding Serena._

_"You cannot take it," Yami said confidently, raising his hand, causing a bright light to shine. This caused the men to fall back and release Serena._

_"Impressive," the man said, his voice dark._

_Wasting no time, Serena ran over to Yami, far from the man she was starting to recognize. Yami placed an arm tightly around Serena and she knew what he wanted her to do. 'I won't allow him to hurt you Serena. This is a test of your strength and endurance. Be strong and trust in yourself and those who care for you.'_

_Serena took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She focused her mind on the first thing that came to her: saving Kaiba. Slowly, she was lifted above the ground as a bright light seemed to emerge from her body. A small mark appeared on her forehead as the unnoticeable restraints on Kaiba weakened and were soon vanquished._

_She turned her eyes upon the man, ready to do him in. But the moment she looked at him, she lost her focus and fell to the ground, landing in Kaiba's arms._

_"Her past is too dark for her to face," the man said sardonically, removing the hood from his head, revealing his identity; it was Jared. "And now, you will come with me." He picked up a golden rod from his belt and pointed it towards Kaiba and Yami, sending them both to the ground while his two men rose and grabbed Serena, dragging her along with them. "Now, I will get what I want and you will get what you deserve. After seeing the power the necklace contains, it will make a great asset to my quest."_

_'He'll never get it Serena, you'll never willingly give it to him and he'll never be able to tap into its power because of that,' Yami's strong voice said to her._

_"Oh, but first, I'll finish off your annoying, meddling friends." Jared said as an afterthought, turning around and pointing his rod towards them once more. A dark force seemed to emerge from the rod and headed straight for the small group of friends._

_Serena did all she could to concentrate on destroying her father, but the images of her past kept coming back to haunt her; it was too dark for her to face, especially alone. She watched in horror as the beam headed straight for her friends and exploded upon impact, a bright light seeming to erupt from the darkness._

_"NO!" Serena screamed, but they were gone._

~*~*~*~*~

"NO!" Serena screamed, sitting up quickly, her heart racing, beads of sweat pouring from her forehead. She felt two arms wrap tightly around her and struggled to break free, not noticing her surroundings.

"Shh, it's ok. I'm here," Kaiba said gently and felt her relax somewhat.

"That was your dream," she said quietly, fear written all over her face, her heart racing, and her breaths quick.

"Yes," Kaiba said softly, holding her closer. "I don't understand Serena."

"I told you I could read minds…and sometimes, I can even see other's dreams. I'm so confused Seto. I don't understand what is going on or what that dream meant," she said, burying her face in his shirt.

"It was just a dream, it doesn't mean anything," he said reassuringly, not quite sure he believed himself.

A/N: Just so as not to confuse anyone at all…"_He picked up a **golden rod** from his belt and pointed it towards Kaiba and Yami, sending them both to the ground…"  
_The rod is **not** the millennium rod. You all will find out later, until then, please review ^_^


	14. Chapter 12: Blood of Darkness

Disclaimer: This is the last time I say this for this story: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh *frowns* Life isn't fair (x_x)

A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews!!! *jumps up and down all happy-like* heh…less sugar, more writing…working on that -_-

**Chapter Twelve – Blood of Darkness**

_Something isn't right._ Serena glanced out the window of the limo, her eyebrows raised in suspicion. _I can sense it, it isn't right. What is going on?_

The limo slowed down to a stop in front of the apartment. "Is this right Mr. Kaiba?" the driver asked meekly. It was his first day on the job and he definitely did not want to lose it. He had heard if you did one thing incorrect, you would lose your job on the spot and right now, he needed the money.

"Yes," Kaiba said, "thank you."

The driver was stunned at those last two words as he opened his door and went to open the door for Kaiba and Serena.

"Something isn't right," Serena said softly as she looked up into Kaiba's icy eyes.

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously, sliding his arms around her waist, ignoring the fact that the door had opened and his driver was waiting for them to exit.

"Something just isn't right," she repeated, trying to push it aside. She plastered on a fake smile and motioned for Kaiba to exit the limo.

They had spent the afternoon and early evening talking about their pasts and their futures; their hopes and their dreams; but more importantly, the death threat and the nightmare. Kaiba still wasn't sure what to believe when it came to the previous and recent nightmare. He had seen some crazy things in his past, but that didn't completely make him a believer. Serena, on the other hand, was more than sure the dream was a sign that something was going to happen. But, she refused to run from it. "Destiny" she had said, "can never be outrun. You have to face your fears and your past before you can face your future. If this dream is a sign of things to come, then I know I have to trust in myself and face my past, regardless of how dark it is."

And now, here they were, believing they were ready for anything, but feeling in their hearts they weren't. Kaiba smiled a true smile as he helped Serena out of the limo. He had never felt this way before. Still, even though she had broken down so many walls, he refused to be that way for everyone. The person he was becoming was meant for her eyes and her eyes alone.

Serena felt Kaiba's strong arm wrap possessively and protectively around her as they walked up to the door. She felt safe in his arms, safe from the evil she sensed, safe from the impending onslaught of danger.

"Serena, we were so worried 'bout ya!" Joey said, opening the door to the apartment, a smile on his face. _She's alright. I'll kill Kaiba if he did anything to her!_ He frowned at Kaiba's arm wrapped around her waist, which looked as if it said, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Worried…about me? Why? I'm fine," Serena stated, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach wasn't going away. _Something bad is going to happen…I can sense it. And I think they sense it too._

"Hurry inside." Yami appeared before them, pulling on Serena's hand, trying his best to hurry them up. He could sense the danger and the dark forces outside the apartment. He had to tell Serena before it was too late.

"What's going on? You all look…spooked or something." Serena looked around the apartment at all her friends. Everyone was there. It didn't escape her notice that they were all uncomfortable in the presence of Kaiba, especially since his arm was wrapped around her.

"Serena," Yami said, his amethyst eyes piercing her stormy blue ones. "They have come." His statement was simple, but he knew she understood. He could tell by the horror he saw in her face.

_The dream was a sign…it will happen tonight. I have to protect them, they mustn't get involved. They shouldn't have even come to the apartment…but my note probably left them all worried. And now they are all involved. I should have taken Kaiba's offer, but I've learned I can't run from my problems; I have to face them._ "Now?" she asked, her face showing no emotion.

"I sense them. Outside, in the darkness; they wait for you, ready to strike and take you."

"What are ya talking' about Yami?" Joey asked confused.

"There is a force, a dark one; one that has been searching for the millennium ruby necklace, as well as its holder, for many years. Their search has come to an end as they have found Serena. They are strong, but if we stand together and support each other, we can make it."

"It sounds like some freaky movie to me," Tristan said, tightening his grip on Serenity.

_Shadi would often tell me in my dreams that my time of understanding would draw when I was ready. I don't feel ready, but somewhere inside, I know I am. If I could just access the full power of the necklace; but why must this happen now? Why is this how Fate has planned it? Oh Yami, what do I do? I'm not some ancient pharaoh; I'm just a teenage girl that Fate has played with._

_Do not fear Serena; I will not allow them to hurt you. This is a test of your strength and endurance. Be strong and trust in yourself and those who care for you. _Serena heard Yami's voice inside of her head, but his lips weren't moving. She looked to him quizzically and at that moment, she realized Kaiba's dream was not just a sign, but a prophecy. Sure, the events weren't exactly following sequence, but those were Yami's exact words. It was going to come true; and soon.

~*~*~*~*~

Thirty minutes had passed, and no effort to take Serena or her necklace was made. The clock had ticked away the time as everyone sat in the silence, holding their breath, not daring to make the slightest movement or sound. They were all beginning to believe it was all a big misunderstanding and they were letting their imaginations get the best of them. That is, until complete darkness fell and seemed to envelope the apartment.

"What's going on?" Téa asked, fear evident in her voice.

"I don't know, but something isn't right," Yami said quietly, his eyes narrowing as he looked out the window. "There, I see them!"

"There are two of them here, dressed in dark cloaks, not black, but not anything else. Their faces are concealed by the darkness, their cloaks, and their magic. To the untrained eye, they are unnoticed, invisible creatures of the night. They bear an insignia on their arms, to show their loyalty towards their master. To prove their devotion to him, they sell their lives, their own brain power, and their own souls; this is how they join his posse. They think nothing and only follow the idle lies of their master. They ask no questions; they make no comments; they say nothing unless requested of them, and should that be the case, they respond the way it is wished of them. They do just as commanded and think nothing of it for they have no thoughts of their own. That is the life of a follower in the Blood of Darkness," Serena said prophetically, her eyes closed and her back turned towards the window.

"Woe, Serena, where'd ya hear that? Is it from that new movie or somethin'?" Joey asked, interest in his eyes.

"What?" Serena said, as if she was in another world and coming back to reality.

"This isn't a game Wheeler," Kaiba said coldly, tightening his grip on Serena. "Are you ok?" he whispered in her ear.

"I'm fine," she said, a small smile appearing on her face.

"How did you know all that Serena?" Yami asked, directing his attention towards her, but never taking his eyes off the two men who stood in the shadows. _How does she know so much about the Blood of Darkness? Their lineage descends back into Ancient Egypt when I was Pharaoh._

"Simple; my father is Jared, leader and master of Blood of Darkness," she replied quietly, hanging her head.

A sudden burst of anger surged through her body as she lifted her face and looked at Yami, fire building in her eyes, her fists rolled into little balls. "He took the only person who held meaning in my life away from me; all because she wanted to protect me. I won't let him take anyone else's life! Not without a fight! My mother may have just given in, but she never had what I have; the powers of my millennium item and friends to lean on. I will not let him take me and I will not let him take my friends! I refuse to become his slave, like my mother once was. I refuse to spend another year in his presence like I did when I was young. I went through hell and I refuse to go through it again!"

Hot tears were burning in her eyes as she broke out of Kaiba's arms. She couldn't stop destiny, but she most certainly could fight the past from recurring. She did her best to ignore the protests of her friends, especially of Kaiba. She shook off the arm he reached out to grab her with, giving him her "I know what I'm doing" glare.

Confidently, she approached the door and opened it. "You want me," she yelled, "come and get me!"


	15. Chapter 13: Darkness and Light

**Chapter Thirteen – Darkness and Light**

"Serena, what are you doing?" Kaiba yelled, pulling her back into the apartment and slamming the door shut. "You could get yourself killed," he chastised quietly as she buried her face in his shirt.

"I can't allow anyone to get hurt. If anyone does, it will be my fault. I knew they would come, sooner or later," she cried shakily, but no tears fell from her eyes. She was beyond the tears of her past. She was ready; she had to be.

_What do you suggest Serena?_

_Yami…I…I have to face them, him, the clan. _Once again, she pulled away from Kaiba's strong clasp and turned to face her friends. "By blood, I am one of them; one of those who lives for the night; the next in line, I guess, to be 'all mighty master.' By choice, I am not. The sun shone in my favor, for my father, when finding he was to have a child, ran; disowning me in a way. But darkness fell on my side when he returned to my life," she explained passively.

"The Blood of Darkness falls back into ancient times; even before I became Pharaoh, they existed. They posses no millennium items to aid them in their quests, but they posses the dark magic as they have sold their souls. In the pyramids, there are many hieroglyphs explaining Blood of Darkness and their creed; the crimes they have committed; the people they have killed. It was the darkest room in the pyramid, and none were permitted to enter. Only those to paint on the walls received access," Yami said quietly, noticing the small advancement the men were making. They planned on taking Serena; their lives depended on it, not that they really had one.

"I have been there." Everyone turned and looked at Serena, eyes wide, except Yami. He seemed to have already gained this information.

Kaiba raised his eyebrow; she had definitely left this part out when she had told her life story to him. In fact, she left out everything involving the "Blood of Darkness," for the most part. "Do explain," he said rather crossly, folding his arms, his words sounding harsher than intended.

Serena sat on the floor, her back against the door and looked into the eyes of all her friends. _This is going to be a very long night. And it's already eleven. When are those idiots coming? I sense them near, yet they are so slow._ She took a deep breath to steady herself. She couldn't even explain _this_ to Kaiba, how would she explain it to everyone else?

"It was in a dream…at least, I think it was a dream. I do know I have never been to Egypt in body, but I can recall every event that happened; every little detail. I remember every little inscription and painting and wondering what they all meant. Two colors stuck out so vividly: red and black; the colors of blood and darkness. It was when I was young, so close to my mother's death. Well, so it felt. In actuality, it was when I was ten." She stood up and turned her back on her friends, her eyes focusing outside through the small window by the door. She couldn't let them see her crying, again. Drawing in a shaky breath, she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. _Thank you Yami._

"You see, since I was born, two sides have been fighting for me; the light and the darkness. I am meant to take over for my father when he passes, and yet I know I am not. Many times, in my dreams, I would study these ancient inscriptions on the walls; memorizing them so I could inquire about the meanings from my most trusted teacher, who so happened to be a retired archeologist. He was intrigued by what I would ask, and didn't always have the answers I sought. And then, _he_ came. Shadi, the one entrusted with the safe-keeping of the millennium items, appeared before me one night while I searched the walls of the room. He knew my troubles and understood my past. He knew I was searching; searching for something that even I was unsure of…my true past; the reason my mother had fallen for someone so completely opposite of her. You see, my mother was pure light…my f-father…pure darkness. He took hold of my hand and led me to a portion of the hieroglyphs which I had seemed to overlook because it didn't feel important; and yet it was the most important of all." Serena stopped and let out a soft sigh. She had brought all her friends into danger, yet this was how it was meant to be.

"This time, it was as if I knew exactly what it was saying, but Shadi summed it up for my young mind. As the prophecies once foretold, light would be deceived by the darkness; tricked and misled. Darkness would leave the light, only to return once again. But then, Shadi told me something else; something so important and vital to my destiny. He told me, 'Darkness will be destroyed by his own spawn; it is his destiny. The world has waited long for this spawn of both light and dark to come, and now, you have. It is your destiny to destroy the darkness. Your past will be hard to face, but you will never be alone. You must face the darkness before you can face the light.' That was the last time I was in those ancient rooms."

Everyone stared at Serena with understanding dawning in their eyes; excluding Kaiba and Yami. Kaiba had approached her once more and taken hold of her hand; his eyes held no emotion, but his heart understood. Yami did not look at Serena; he had known this day would come; he had known for 5,000 years. This force was stronger than Marik's was, seemingly stronger than the millennium rod. This force belonged to the darkness.

His hands behind his back, his face stern, his eyes never blinking, he spoke. His voice never faltered, it never shook, it never wavered; it spoke powerfully and strong. Those three simple words would impact the future of the world. Those three simple words would set forth the ancient prophecies and acclaim them as true. Those three simple words would test him and his friends, but more importantly, it would test Serena. Those three simple words would mark the beginning of her fulfilling her destiny. Those three simple words would set the nightmare into play. Those three simple words were, "It is time."


	16. Chapter 14: Midnight Strikes

Note: Alright, this is basically the dream all over again, only this time it's not a dream and there will be some changes ^_^

**Chapter Fourteen – Midnight Strikes**

"What do you mean?" Kaiba asked coolly, his hand gripping Serena's tighter.

"The time has come Kaiba," Serena said quietly, managing to free her hand and place it on the doorknob.

"What are you doing?" he hissed angrily, his arm pushing on the door.

"You can't stop destiny Seto Kaiba," Yami said, pulling Kaiba's arm away from the door and opening it for Serena. He followed her outside, telling the others to stay inside; knowing all but one would listen.

"Come with us and we won't hurt you," one of the men said, his voice eerie and monotone all the same.

"No." It was simple, yet it was forceful.

"Then we must force you to come," the other man said, reaching out his arm.

Serena felt two pairs of arms holding her down. _But how?_ "Let me go!" she yelled, still unsure of how she had managed to transport from the doorstep to their arms.

"Serena!" Kaiba yelled to her, sensing an unusual darkness surrounding them. Anger took over him and he was ready to give those men a piece of his mind. _No one messes with my girl and gets away with it! My girl…_ A tiny smile placed itself on his lips, but he quickly shook his head and focused. He tried to run forward, ready to attack, but he couldn't move. It was as if he was chained to his spot. _The dream…_

"Let the girl go." Yami spoke calmly, his deep voice holding authority. _It's alright Serena._

_Yami, this is the dream…its coming true! _She was indeed tapping their minds together. She had discovered she was able to do this not too long ago and she was glad; it would come in handy.

"Let her go," Yami repeated, his eyes narrowing at the perpetrator.

The two men looked at each other and back to Yami. Instead of letting her go, their grip tightened on her, causing her to cry out in pain.

"I listen only to my master," one of the men said emotionlessly, his eyes blank.

_My only chance of understanding what is going on is to tap into their minds. I have to be strong. I have to,_ Serena told herself as she looked at Yami and then to Kaiba.

Time seemed to stand still as she broke into the stillness of their minds. She searched for their thoughts, but found none. It was as if their minds were controlled, as if they were thinking nothing. "It can't be…If they can speak, then they should be able to have thoughts…they can't be the clan," she whispered to herself, horror filling her eyes. "It's impossible!" she cried out.

"Serena? What is it?" Kaiba yelled out to her, his eyes growing cold as he looked at the men who just stood there, holding on to her dumbly. _Why aren't they going anywhere?_

Serena suddenly understood. _I had forgotten..._ She blinked and took a deep breath. _They cannot do a thing until their master tells them what to do Seto._

"Everything is possible," a dark voice said as a man appeared before them; the same man Serena had seen the day she first saw Joey duel.

He was dressed in a black cloak, a hood covering his hair and most of his face. His crimson eyes were narrowed and he held a sadistic grin on his face. He had an aura of pure evil and darkness around him as he approached the scene.

Knowing the answer, but unable to stop the words from flowing from his mouth, Kaiba spoke. "What do you want with her?" he yelled out, the restrains tightening their grip on him.

He was angry; he had a right to be. His eyes were icier than they had ever been; he had never felt the way Serena had caused him to feel and now someone was trying to take her away from him!

"I am here to take what is mine; what should have been mine from the beginning. I have longed to have it for many, many years," he stated simply, turning his gaze towards Serena; but more importantly, her necklace. _Hopefully she has not learned of all the power it possesses, or of its value._

"Your mother was foolish and naïve. To think that she believed I actually loved her. Oh no, I knew what she had and I used all her weaknesses to take it from her. But she was stronger than she had once been when I came back from finishing my induction as master. I knew it was too late and according to ancient law, I cannot hurt a child. But you are no longer a child; oh no. You, my dear, were never a child were you?" he laughed cruelly.

"You cannot take it," Yami said confidently, raising his hand. A bright light emerged from it and the two men fell down, releasing Serena. She gladly ran over to Yami and shot Kaiba a worried glace as she felt an arm tighten around her protectively.

"Impressive, Pharaoh," the man said emotionlessly, his voice containing the dark atmosphere.

"You know who I am," Yami stated, a smirk evident on his face. _I won't allow him to hurt you Serena._

"Of course, Pharaoh. You are an enemy to us, all of us, not just the Blood of Darkness. I know all about how you created the millennium items and 'saved the world.' I also know you have not gained every memory of your past and therefore, you are unaware of how to harness the great power within you. I will use that to my advantage."

"I expect nothing less from a man of darkness." His eyes were narrowed into tiny slits, and they never left the man as he took a few steps towards them. _Be strong and trust in yourself Serena. This is a test of your strength and endurance; you have to complete it. Trust yourself, and all of us who care for you,_ Yami's mind calmly repeated what he had told her earlier.

Serena looked at the man. She was not going to allow the dream to come true. Glaring at him and pushing back the memories of her past, she released herself from Yami's arm. She closed her eyes tight and focused her mind on one thing: freeing Kaiba from the invisible bonds that held him down.

_She can't possibly know of all the power her item possesses…unless _he_ showed her! Shadi will surely pay for this! But…I do know her weakness._

Slowly, Serena felt herself being lifted off the ground as a bright light emerged itself from her body. A small mark appeared on her forehead, much like the insignia of the millennium items, as she faced Kaiba and removed the bondages without so much as lifting a finger.

_Serena…wow._ Kaiba had no idea what to think or what to do, so he aimlessly walked over to Yami, his eyes holding wonderment.

Yami, however, held no such look. For years he knew this would happen, it was in the prophecies of his ancestors, but it had died down when it was understood the Blood of Darkness would be involved. That is when it became unmentionable; but Yami often thought of it in wonderment, never forgetting the details of the many versions of stories he had heard when he was a boy.

Serena turned upon the man, ready to use her power to stop him. She was prepared for everything. _You have to open your eyes sometime, _she yelled at herself.

Instantaneously, her eyes flashed open as she gazed at the man before her. He had moved his hood back some, revealing a mark on his face. _It's him…my…f-f-father…You're losing focus Serena! Concentrate!_

_Why isn't it working?_ Jared yelled out inside of his mind, furious at her strength. _Then I shall have to try another tactic. The one she calls "Kaiba."_

"Leave them alone," she said. Her voice was stronger and her stormy sapphire eyes had narrowed and hardened. "It is useless Jared. It is over for you. The prophecy will come true tonight." She lifted her hand, a small staff appearing in its grasp.

"Can you _really_ destroy me, dear daughter? Even with the help of your necklace, you are no match for my powers!" he spat out angrily, raising his rod towards her.

"I will do what I can to save the world; even if it means destroying my own blood. You are pure darkness and I will _not_ allow you to roam this world, bringing pain and suffering wherever you go."

"What would your mother think of you? She never wanted you to end up like me, but look at yourself. You _are_ like me." He knew it was working. The only thing that would weaken her resolve was the mention of her mother. He smirked crudely as he noticed the light beginning to dim.

_Don't listen to him Serena! You can do this!_

_Yami…I-I…I ca—_

_You can Serena! We believe in you!_

_What!?_ Jared watched her light begin to grow once again, brighter than before.

"You cannot change fate Jared. Prepare to face your destiny." She held up her staff and focused all her energy, unprepared for what was about to happen. As she put forth her staff, ready to strike Jared down, the unthinkable happened. _Your past is too dark to face,_ a sinister voice inside her head spoke. _No! I can do this,_ she yelled at it, forcing it from her thoughts. _You're a fair person Serena, are you being fair right now?_ it taunted her. She was weakening from the raging war inside.

_She can't do it until she faces her past._ Yami closed his eyes, knowing it was over; for now at least. A battle would be declared, but he would not allow this Jared to take Serena from them.

_I can't do this,_ she cried out to herself in utter frustration and fell down from the sky into Kaiba's arms. She was exhausted and was near to passing out. She looked over at Jared and spoke coolly. "You will never have what is not meant to be yours."

Jared ignored this comment and looked directly at Yami. "Pharaoh, I have a proposition to make."

"What is it murderer, I have more important things to tend to." Yami was getting agitated and it showed. But he was also worried about Serena. She had accessed too much of her power at one time instead of slowly learning how to use it. She was in no condition to protect herself and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep the leader of Blood of Darkness at bay much longer.

"I propose a duel, for the girl." His look was sinister and Yami knew there was more to his plan.

"A duel? Very well then; we will have a duel."

"In _my _Shadow Realm."

Yami's face froze, but he hid it well. "And what do you propose the stakes as? Just the girl, or is there more to your plan?"

"When I win, I take the girl as well as her precious necklace and banish you, oh Pharaoh, to the Shadow Realm," he said, a glimmer of delight at doing this passing through his dark, crimson irises.

"And when I win?" Yami asked, his eyebrows rising in suspicion, motioning for a deathly still Kaiba to take Serena into the apartment.

"You may keep the girl and take away my power, oh great Pharaoh," he said mockingly.

"Very well. I agree to these terms." Yami nodded his head and waited for the man to leave.

"Wait!" Kaiba yelled at them, stopping at the door and turning around. "Instead of you dueling," he nodded his head towards Yami, "I will duel."

The others listening through the slightly open door all gasped at this, even Jared seemed a bit surprised, but Yami looked unfazed, as if he had expected it.

"Will you duel Seto Kaiba instead _murderer_?" he asked, astonishing the others greatly.

"Only if the stakes are raised." He had been waiting for this. It would be great to destroy two souls instead of one.

"To what?" Joey asked, falling out the door. "Heh heh, oops." Everyone rolled their eyes and waited expectantly.

"When I win, Seto Kaiba, not only will the girl belong to me, but you will lose your life; and everything you hold dear to you."

"I agree," Kaiba said coolly, sending most everyone to utter astonishment yet again.

Although she had passed out, Serena could hear everything going on and her mind was screaming out in protest. _For this time, please be selfish Kaiba. Mokuba needs you more than I…_

"Two days from now, we will duel. Do not try to run, I will always find you." With that, Jared was gone, as was the eerie darkness that had engulfed the apartment. The stars had begun to peek out from their velvet blanket and the moon was shining brightly.

Kaiba rushed in the apartment with Serena in his arms and a now transformed Yugi close behind him. He would have a lot of preparing to do, and maybe this once, he would ask Yami or Yugi for advice. _When you wake up Serena, I'm going to need your help._

"We all believe in you Kaiba," Yugi said quietly, greeting Kaiba's small, forced half-smile with his own gentle one.

The clock struck its twelve peals of midnight to the tired group of friends who were taking refuge in Téa's apartment for the night. The first hour of darkness had passed and in two days, another would begin. As sleep began to take over their tired bodies, they wondered what the outcome of the battle occurring in two days would be and how it would affect the future of the world.


	17. Chapter 15: The Dream

**Chapter Fifteen – The Dream**

_Darkness. That's all there was. There was no glimmer of light far off into the distance; no hope. There was nothing in this world; nothing but pure darkness._

_Serena felt herself falling, further and further into the pit of darkness as the black void engulfed her, swallowing her whole._

_"Where am I?" she cried out, not expecting an answer; feeling alone and empty._

_"Welcome to your future, Serena Pegasus," a calm voice spoke out, a small light coming towards her._

_"My…future? What do you mean?" she asked, trying to calm her breathing._

_"It's simple. This is what your future beholds for you," the light replied quietly._

_"Darkness?"_

_"No, my friend. This darkness is merely your present. You are confused and lost; in two days, you will face ultimate darkness."_

_"Who are you?"_

_The light laughed and waved his hand, illuminating herself and Serena._

_"You're…me!?! What's going on?" she questioned, confusion etching on her face._

_The light sighed and smiled at her. "I'm your inner child Serena; a younger version of yourself that is naïve to the future and the present. The younger you who believed everything was possible and no one was evil._

_"I've been assigned to show you your future; the three possible scenarios of what the future may bring. One of them, I must tell you, is this darkness, yet far worse than the darkness alone. I shall show it to you first."_

_Serena stared at her younger self, amazed at how much wisdom she held. At first, she was unbelieving, but then, she saw it; right before her eyes, her future was being played._

_"This, is what your future may be," her inner child whispered, her voice sounding eerie in the darkness._

_Slowly, Serena was lifted in the black air with the light. They both looked down as Serena's possible future played out before their eyes._

_~*~*~*~_

_The darkness of the so called "Shadow Realm" they were dueling in slowly dissipated as the duel ended. The winner's lifeless eyes narrowed slightly as he watched his opponent._

_"Serena!" Kaiba yelled out, running to her. The duel was over; Kaiba lost._

_"Seto," she whispered softly, falling slowly to the ground._

_"I've failed," he said over and over again, pulling her close to him when he reached her. 'If I had only tried harder; if only I didn't make that mistake!'_

_Jared glanced at the two, his sadistic grin placed on his face. "You've lost; both of you."_

_"You can not have what is not meant to be yours!" Serena yelled out, her necklace glowing slightly._

_"I will take what is mine and has been mine from the beginning. You may be my own flesh and blood, but I will not tarry in killing you, and your 'friend' here. Friendship is for the weak, you've been taught that. But you chose to believe in friendship and that is why you lost Seto Kaiba!"_

_'I've failed you Serena. I am eternally sorry.'_

_'You didn't fail me Seto, you never have.'_

_"On second thought, I think I just may let you live, Kaiba. Wouldn't want your brother to grow up all alone now would you. Besides, it'd be more agony for you since you'll have to live each day knowing it was your own foolish mistake that cost Serena's life."_

_'Mokuba!' Kaiba looked up at Jared and gave him an icy glare. 'I can't let him hurt Mokuba…or Serena.'_

_"I do believe I'll have more fun sending you to the real Shadow Realm dear daughter. Say goodbye to your friends, you don't have much time left." With that said, he pulled the necklace from her neck and narrowed his eyes. "Alright, time is up."_

_"NO!" Kaiba yelled as Serena disappeared from his arms. She was gone. "Serena," he cried, tears slowly forming on his once hard exterior; his heart shattering in a million tiny pieces, like a fragile crystal glass.._

_Serena looked around her. It was dark and scary where she was; the Shadow Realm. "This is my fate," she whispered softly, allowing the darkness to engulf her. "There is no escape…but I will never blame you Seto…"_

_~*~*~*~_

_Serena turned her head away. "I don't want to see anymore,," she whispered, her heart pounding. "Will that really happen?"_

_"That, I do not know friend. Fate has an interesting way of changing things. But, should Kaiba lose, he will lose not only for you, but for himself as well."_

_"What else might happen? Please tell me it is…good," she pleaded, looking at her emotionless face._

_The young girl waved her hand and the images before them left as new ones formed._

_~*~*~*~_

_"This is my life, my destiny. I must duel him myself Kaiba," Serena said firmly. Nightfall was coming and Jared would be there soon._

_"I can't allow that Serena," he said coolly, looking over his deck._

_"This is my life Kaiba! He is my f-f-father!" Tears slowly began to spill out of her eyes as she tried desperately to blink them back. She didn't want all her friends to see her like this._

_Kaiba sat there, his eyes staring off into the distance. "Serena," he said softly and pulled her down next to him. "Do you understand why I want to duel for you?"_

_"No…" she sniveled, wiping the fallen tears from her eyes. "If I don't duel him, then I'll never know if I could have defeated him myself."_

_Kaiba sighed and pulled her close, kissing her cheek, ignoring the fact that all her friends were watching them. "If you have to duel him, then you will. I won't stand in your way. But I hope you understand that if you lose, I will forever blame myself," he whispered hoarsely in her ear._

_"I won't lose," she whispered back, hugging him tighter._

_"We're all standing behind you Serena! Just believe in yourself," Yugi said, smiling brightly._

_Serena nodded and prepared herself to face the darkness that would soon come._

_~*~*~*~_

_"What happens? Do I win?" Serena questioned as the images slowly dissipated._

_Her younger self held no emotion in her face and did not even turn to look at her. "That, friend, I cannot tell you. It would depend upon chance and your heart. So much would be riding on the draw of one card Serena; more than even Fate herself can predict."_

_"What is the third scenario?"_

_"The third? Ah, yes, the third. That my friend, you may only learn a small portion of."_

_"But—"_

_"My work here is finished," her younger self said softly. The light was slowly swallowed up by the darkness._

_"Wait!" Serena yelled out, but it was too late. Her light was gone. She closed her eyes and mumbled softly, "Why couldn't she just show me. She said a small portion but she didn't show me anything. Now I'm all alone in this strange place of…dreams…"_

_Shadi appeared behind her and smirked. She was probably creating millions of solutions to her problem in her head, but he would stop that; this was his assignment as of now. He placed his hand on her shoulder and chuckled in his mind when she jumped and spun around._

_"Shadi! Please tell me you're here to take me home," Serena pleaded, calming her startled heart._

_"No…I'm here to show you something important. Your inner child could not tell you for she knows not of the ancient past."_

_"Ancient past?" Serena furrowed her brows in confusion._

_"Come," Shadi said, taking hold of her hand and leading her in the darkness._

_"Where are we going?" she questioned, wondering how Shadi could make his way out in this dark void._

_"You shall see."_

_After seeming to go nowhere in particular, Shadi snapped his fingers and a dim light appeared. There before them was a pyramid._

_"You remember the prophecy you once learned a long time ago, am I correct?"_

_"Of course I do. 'Light would be deceived by the darkness; tricked and misled. Darkness would leave the light, only to return once again. Darkness would later be destroyed by his own spawn; it is his destiny,'" Serena quoted the prophecy she had learned word for word._

_"Yes, that is correct. You are strong Serena; it takes much for your spirit to be broken, if that is possible. You trust in your friends and most importantly, yourself. You have learned to let the past not affect your future and are slowly learning to move beyond it. I know it is a lot for a young teen to bear, but the fate of the world is in your hands. You have the help of your friends and your uncle, but you also have the help of Pharaoh Yami and your millennium item. It is a lot to access the full powers of your item at one moment and I should have known to train you, but other obligations led me away," Shadi explained, his eyes never moving from hers._

_"I understand all that Shadi. The world was in danger and Yami needed you. But…why are we…here?"_

_"This is the same pyramid you used to explore as a child in your dreams. There is something I must show you; it will explain the third possible scenario. Although it is a prophecy, written from ancient times on ancient Egyptian papyrus, Fate may change it." Shadi ascended into the pyramid, Serena close behind him._

_'I remember this place so well. The room is right there,' she thought to herself and noticed they had stopped before the very room she was thinking of._

_Shadi walked into the room and led her to a small iron cast ruby chest that was sitting upon a table in the middle of the room._

_"When you were younger and would explore this room, I told you to never touch the chest until the time has come. You were too young to understand why, but you listened to me. Outside of this dream world where we are right now, the real pyramid lies. I have been able to seal this door, allowing only those I approve of to enter to assure the chest would not be found. If the scroll inside were to be discovered by any not meant to find it, the world would once again, be in danger; more danger than it is in now." Shadi placed his hand on the table and murmured something in Arabic._

_As if understanding what he was saying, Serena slid off her necklace and placed the ruby in the slot that looked like a key hole. Words seemed to come to her as she placed her hands on the chest and closed her eyes. Slowly, the top lifted up, revealing an ancient scroll. Serena watched as it ascended in the air, unraveling and floating before her._

_"It's a story," she whispered, looking at Shadi who only nodded._

_"Yes, do you understand?"_

_Serena looked at the scroll long and hard, trying to make sense of the pictures. Then, as if she had known her whole life the story on the scroll, she began to speak._

_"It's about a girl, born of the light and the dark. She is a chosen one, meant to save the world when the time comes; meant to diminish the Blood of Darkness. She may be a mixture of light and of dark, but her heart lies in the light. One day, she will face the real dark, the dark that played a part in creating her and she will defeat him. She is strong but can only access her true powers and nature by…" Serena trialed off, trying to make sense of the last part of the hieroglyphs on the scroll. "Shadi?"_

_"You know it Serena; it's in your heart," he said quietly, as the scroll rolled up and went back in the chest. He handed her her necklace and walked her out of the pyramid._

_"But…"_

_"You're awakening Serena. You know it in your heart; it's the one thing that can create many."_

_Slowly, Shadi and the pyramid disappeared and Serena was once again, alone. She thought over all the things she had seen and turned to face the slowly retreating darkness as the light of day began to shine._

~*~*~*~

Serena stretched and sat up, looking at all of her friends, the dream still very fresh in her mind. "I have to face Jared on my own Seto, it's the only way," she whispered quietly, looking down at his sleeping form. "Or…am I supposed to allow you to battle him for me and learn to put my life in your hands by…trusting you?"

Serena blinked as the story on the scroll played back in her mind. "By trusting in the one she has learned to care for; by trusting her life in his hands. That's what the scroll was saying." Understanding dawned on her as she slowly and cautiously stood up, making her way into the kitchen. _Can I truly trust my life in his hands? He trusts only in himself…and I know he is changing bit by bit but, has he changed enough to trust in others so I can put my trust in him?_


	18. Chapter 16: Chitchat with Uncle Max

**Chapter Sixteen – Chit-chat with Uncle Max**

The sun was shining brightly in the sky and a beautiful aroma filled the air of the small apartment, wafting to the noses of all those in slumber. One by one, they were very slowly awakening to the smell of so many different foods.

_Food!_ Joey sat up and followed his nose to the small kitchen adjacent to the living room where they all had fallen into peaceful slumber. "Serena?"

"Hi Joey! I thought cooking breakfast might wake everyone up. It's already ten," she smiled at him excitedly. It was as if she didn't remember any of the events of the previous night.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping or something? Not that I mind you cooking 'cause I am hungry," he said, his stomach grumbling. _I thought that she had passed out last night. Kaiba isn't gonna like this._

Serena just smiled at him and went back to her cooking. She slapped Joey's hand away when he tried to reach for what she was cooking and told him to wake the others because breakfast was almost done.

"How long have you been up?" he asked, turning to look at her before he left the kitchen.

"Four hours!" she chirped happily, giggles bubbling out of her like an overflowing spring.

"Okay," he said hesitantly, rolling his eyes at her joyfulness. "Wakeup!!!!" he yelled out to the five sleeping figured and smiled to himself when four of them jumped up.

"Joey, did you have to yell so loud?" Téa asked grumpily. "I was enjoying my sleep."

"Looks like someone still is," Serenity giggled, pointing to Kaiba.

"He'll need it if he's going to battle Jared," Yugi said quietly and followed the others to the kitchen.

"Someone's been busy," Tristan said as he noticed all the food sitting at the table and a chipper Serena washing the dirty dishes.

"Help yourselves; I'm sure there's plenty. Actually, Tristan and Joey, you two go last since you eat a lot," she said, a wide grin on her face as she placed the dry dishes away and went to find Kaiba when she realized he wasn't in the kitchen.

"Seto," she whispered softly in his ear, giggling at how cute he was when sleeping. "I don't know if I have the heart to wake him up," she whispered to herself, looking at him again. "But I think he'll want breakfast before Joey and Tristan eat it all…"

Two hands snuck out from under the blanket and grabbed Serena, pulling her down to the ground and wrapping tightly around her waist. Everyone seemed to ignore the slight scream from her lips as they were all engrossed in the delicious food.

Serena's face lit up brightly as she felt Kaiba nuzzle his head against her neck. "Morning beautiful," he whispered tenderly in her ear, causing her to shiver.

"Good morning Seto," she replied, blushing more as she felt a kiss being placed on her cheek.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he asked softly.

"Nope. I woke up and I feel just great!" she exclaimed, giggling at nothing. "This feels nice," she murmured as she laid her head against his chest, ignoring his slight blush.

"I think I'd sit like this, holding you, for a very long time…except I smell something coming from the kitchen," he said, trying to hold in the quiet grumbles coming from his stomach.

Serena laughed, weaseled out of his grasp, and stood up, pulling him with her. "I made breakfast, but there might not be any left since I released Joey and Tristan." She heard Kaiba groan and looked at his face. His eyes had narrowed and he held that cool expression once more; more than likely due to the fact that he realized where he was, who he was with, and what had happened the previous night.

"Why are you so happy?" he asked suddenly, not making an effort to move to the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" She batted her eyelashes and kissed his chin, smiling innocently.

"Never mind," he mumbled, a tint of red appearing on his face. "But…" he said, pulling her closer to him, and smiling slightly down into her eyes. Without saying anymore, he cupped her chin in his hand and stared into her soul. _I'm tired of fighting this emotion inside of me. I'm already fighting for her life; I might as well show a hint as to why._

Slowly and softly, he brushed his lips against hers, unprepared for what she had decided to do if he ever kissed her again.

"Don't stop," she murmured, kissing him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

He slid his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss, all the while, murmuring, "Then I won't."

"Get a room, I'm losing my appetite," Joey teased from the kitchen, everyone else watching on in amusement.

The two jumped apart from each other, both realizing what they were doing and where. Everyone in the kitchen had up close viewing to their intimate moment, and that very fact caused the two to blush, Kaiba more than Serena.

"I don't think that can happen, Joey," Serena teased back, walking into the kitchen, Kaiba close behind her, glaring at Joey for interrupting their moment.

_That dog had better never do that again. I don't care if he is her friend, the next time he does something like that will be the last,_ he thought angrily to himself, sitting down next to Serena and taking some of the food that was left.

"Yeah, Joey's appetite is insatiable," Serenity said, a few giggles escaping her lips.

"Hey Yug', are you gonna eat that?" Joey asked, pointing to the food sitting on Yugi's plate.

"Uh…nope; here you go Joey," Yugi said, smiling innocently as he handed his plate to Joey.

"Oh great, more food!" Hungrily, he dug into the food, ignoring the looks of disgust from the females at the table.

_Such a mutt,_ Kaiba thought to himself, annoyed at the childish behavior.

_Oh come on Seto, lighten up,_ Serena spoke to his mind, amused at the look he gave her. "What?" she asked innocently, smiling wide into his deep azure eyes.

"Nothing," he mumbled, biting into a pancake, his mind rambling on and on about how he couldn't believe he was eating with his opponent's friends. Then again, Serena was the reason for it, and for that very purpose, he could manage. _How can someone have this much power over me? It's as if I'm in…no, impossible._

_What's impossible?_ Serena had entered his mind again, but still seemed to concentrate on her food. Since learning the day before how to connect her mind to another and speak to it, she just couldn't help herself.

_Serena!_ Kaiba looked at her again, narrowing his eyes. He was angry she was invading his thoughts, but the look she gave him showed she didn't really care.

_Alright, fine, I'll stop listening. But I'm still going to wonder about what could be impossible. After last night, I'm not sure anything is impossible anymore._ With that said, she slowly stood up from the table and headed out of the kitchen.

"I have to call my uncle," she called over her shoulder, ignoring cold look from Kaiba.

_He's changed, just give him a chance, _her mind whispered to his before she unlocked their connection, humming as she went to the phone to place her call; she was unaware that everyone tuned their ears to her, eagerly waiting for what she would be saying to him.

~*~*~*~*~

"Mr. Pegasus, it's your niece," Henry said, holding out the phone to the eager gentleman.

"Serena!" Pegasus exclaimed. He had just spoken to her recently, but this call was most certainly unexpected.

"Hi Uncle Max! How are you?" Serena asked politely, knowing she had to get all the formalities out of the way before she could continue with her original purpose.

"Did you hear that? She called him 'Uncle Max,'" Tristan whispered to Joey, the two of them snickering when they thought of Pegasus.

"I'm fine darling, just fine. How is the dueling going? I hope those cards help you. I must say, this call is most certainly unexpected," he paused, worry creasing on his brows. "Is there something wrong?"

"Um…I've got five locator cards so far, one more and I'll be in the finals. And I have to thank you once again Uncle Max; those cards mean a lot to me. But…something has come up and I need to speak with you. It's about…my…Jared," she spoke quietly into the phone.

"Jared? You do know. And all this time, I thought you had never known," Pegasus replied, more to himself. "What is it you need to know?"

Serena took a deep breath. As far as she knew, her uncle knew nothing of Blood of Darkness, but it was worth a shot. "I need to know about his induction," she said simply, hoping it wouldn't raise suspicion if he knew nothing.

"Induction?" he asked, surprised. Was the information he had learned so long ago true? "Into what?"

"Forget I asked," Serena replied, laughing nervously.

"Blood of Darkness," Pegasus said, hate for the meaning beyond the words in his voice. Serena nearly dropped the phone when she realized she'd heard him right.

"You know!" she cried out, causing her friends to look on with questions. "Uncle Max, I have to know. Please, tell me," she pleaded. "There isn't much time."

_I don't know why I'm telling her, it will only hurt her to know the truth about her father. But she does have a right to know... _"Alright, I will tell you Serena. First, do you have a—"

"Sure, you gave me one. Let me pull it out," she said, interrupting his question. "I'll be right back." She hurried into the room she had been using and brought out a briefcase. Pulling out the contents, she found her laptop and the proper wires. "Alright, back," she smiled into the phone.

"What is she doing?" Joey asked, his question directed to no one in particular.

"It's obvious she is connecting the phone to the laptop so she can see her uncle when she's speaking to him," Kaiba replied, rolling his eyes at Joey's ignorance.

"No way!" This time, it was Tristan who spoke. His eyes were wide as he watched Serena hooking up wires to her laptop and the phone.

_I am surrounded by ignorant fools!_ Kaiba figured it would be best if he ignored the unintelligent conversation that seemed to circulate around the table; and rather he focus on Serena to make sure she was hooking up the right wires so she didn't blow a fuse or worse yet, injure herself.

"Alright, all hooked up, opening up the phone window," Serena said into the phone. "I'm going to turn it to the microphone on the laptop now Uncle Max." With that said, she put the phone down and switched to the small microphone on her laptop and looked into the tiny camera sitting on the top of the screen. She smiled and waved at her uncle as she watched him wave back.

Serena turned away from the screen and looked into the kitchen, nearly falling over with the intent stares of her friends. "Oh no…no, no, no!" She cried out, looking at their begging puppy eyes, Kaiba being the only one who didn't seem all that interested in testing out the phone. Serena growled softly. "Fine, come here."

Pegasus chuckled when he saw some familiar faces behind his niece. One in particular stood out to him.

"Uncle Max, I'm certain you remember Yugi," Serena said, smiling brightly.

"Ah yes, Yugiboy, I've heard you remain the top ranked duelist. I must say, I am very impressed. I'm thankful my niece has such a wonderful duelist like you as a friend," Pegasus replied, meaning every word.

"Alright, you guys saw it. Now…I really need to talk to my uncle…so shoo!" Serena commanded before Yugi had a chance to reply and watched her friends walk down the hallway.

"Alright! But I'm warning you Yug', this time, I'm going to beat you!" Serena heard Joey say as they disappeared into Téa's room. She smiled to herself and looked back at the screen.

"Uncle Max, is everything okay?" she questioned, noticing a strange look in Pegasus' eyes.

"So Kaibaboy, we meet again."

_Oh boy…Wait, how does he know…_ Serena's thoughts were cut off when she felt a pair of hands rest on her shoulders. _Oh._ "Umm…Kaiba, you know my uncle. Uncle Max, you know Kaiba." _What else could I say? I feel like such an idiot! Oh! I know!_

Focusing on connecting their minds, Serena smiled innocently at her Uncle who was still staring at Kaiba. _Kaiba…give him a chance. He's changed. Please…Seto._

Kaiba growled quietly and smirked into the camera. "Yes, I've had the uh, pleasure, of knowing your…uncle."

"Kaiba is the host of the Battle City Tournaments, but I'm sure you knew that Uncle Max," Serena said, trying to place the subject on safer grounds.

"Ah yes. Tell me Kaibaboy, have you had the honor of dueling my niece? I must say, she is a fine duelist," Pegasus boasted, a delightful smile upon his face.

"No, I haven't…yet," Kaiba replied, his smirk growing. "I'll leave you to catch up with your…uncle…or whatever else you're doing," Kaiba said, turning to leave.

"No! I mean, this involves you too…at least, you should know this," Serena said, grabbing hold of his arm. "Come sit," she commanded, a smile in her eyes.

Reluctantly, Kaiba sat beside her in front of the laptop. _This might not be so bad._ Slowly, his slipped an arm around Serena and pulled her close to him, Pegasus watching the whole thing with slight repugnance.

_I must say, I do think they have a little bit more than a friendship going on. But of all people, she chose Seto Kaiba? My dear Kaibaboy, if you hurt my niece, I may revert back to my old tricks._ "So you want to know about your father's induction into Blood of Darkness?" Pegasus questioned, still unsure as to whether or not he should tell her.

"Yes, and if you don't tell me, I'll have Kaiba hack into the same files you discovered and I'll learn the hard way," Serena replied, smiling at the passing look of question on Kaiba's face.

"Very well." Pegasus typed into his laptop and pulled up a file. "Here is what you want to know," he said, sending the file to her.

Serena hesitated on opening it. "I'll call you back if I need to know anything else Uncle Max. Oh, and thanks again for those cards, they will be most helpful," she said softly.

"Of course, strong cards always prove to be useful. I will talk to you another time Serena. Oh, and Kaibaboy, do be careful, she is my niece after all. Dare to hurt her and you will pay dearly." With his warning, Pegasus disconnected the phone, a smirk on his face.  _Well I do hope she is careful with the information she learns; and with the man she plans on sharing it with._


	19. Chapter 17: The Induction

**Chapter Seventeen – The Induction**

"I know I need to know exactly how Jared was inducted as 'Master' in Blood of Darkness…but I'm not sure I can open this file," Serena said quietly, ten minutes later.

"You're not alone," Kaiba whispered softly. _She's close to how Mokuba acted on his first date. Nervous, but excited all the same. No…that doesn't apply here. Mokuba! I need to call and check up on him._

Serena laughed softly and smiled at Kaiba. "I know, thank you. I guess you could say I am a little excited about this…after all, it will help so much. And um…go call Mokuba, but I'm sure he's fine. I'll wait."

Kaiba forced a smile on his face; it was still a little surprising that she could read his mind without him knowing. At times, he found that rather annoying. "I'll be quick," he said coolly, pulling out his cell phone and dialing some numbers.

While Kaiba spoke to his younger brother, Serena stared at the computer screen, the file selected and ready to open. _To open or not to open…What's there to lose? Nothing. But there is much to gain. I have to open this file. I need to._ Biting her lower lip, Serena double clicked the file, a document appearing on the screen. _Okay…now to read it._ Serena giggled to herself. _One step at a time…_

"Couldn't wait?" Kaiba asked emotionlessly, staring intently at her.

"Oh…well, I um…I was just going to open it…I haven't exactly gotten myself to read it. Yet," she replied, a slight blush painting her cheeks.

"Well, let's see. This is about your father's induction…" Kaiba's voice trailed off as Serena handed him her laptop. He raised his brow in question.

"I'm not the best with computers or long documents. Maybe you can find a point of interest," she suggested, scooting closer to him.

"Maybe." Kaiba scanned the document, his eyes reading every word but not bothering to really understand what it was saying.

Ten minutes passed and he was still scrolling through it, searching for anything of interest. It had gotten deathly silent in the room; not even Joey could be heard from Téa's room yelling about how he challenges Yugi to another rematch and that this time he'll win.

"Got it."

Serena jumped a little and looked at Kaiba, questions in her eyes. "Got what?"

"What you need to know. It's all here. I'll read it to you." Smiling slightly, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. The truth was going to be hard for her to face.

"Okay," she said softly and leaned her head up against Kaiba's shoulder. "I'm listening."

Kaiba looked at the document, found his place, and began to read. "Blood of Darkness; separately, those words mean nothing really. Blood flows through our veins and darkness comes in the night. But, when put together, those words mean more than just blood and darkness, they mean death to all those who dare to stand in the way of the clan.

"To join Blood of Darkness, one must sign their soul over to evil, so to speak. They are then driven to accomplish tasks created by their master, the all powerful evil one…as I like to call him, or her. I have watched many take membership in our gang for various reasons, but for nearly all, one reason is common ground. We are all bound together by our darkness…" Kaiba paused and looked at Serena. Her look told him to continue, so, taking a deep breath, he did.

"I have seen the one we call 'Master' be inducted. He was the evil one's son. He grew up here in this darkness, never knowing light. For him to be inducted, he had to face the light and take control of it. For him, the light came in the form of a young lady whose name I cannot remember now. He took control of her alright, until he found he could not harm her for she was with child. This news changed him and made him want to live in the light, something he knew he could never achieve. The ancient prophecy of the Egyptians is coming to pass I believe.

"The evil one was not pleased to say the least. Because he had not been able to control the light, he was punished, severely, destroying any hope of light within. But, as soon as his induction took place, his father died. His dying wish was for his son to destroy _all_ the light; his child and her mother. I have come to know that half of this has come to pass as I brought the child to her uncle for her mother no longer lived; and Master is unable to harm any child, according to an unwritten law. There was something about the light inside of this child that brought me to realize the darkness I lived in was not all there was to life. Her silence seemed to tell me there was light within everyone. And when this child is grown, she will have amazing power; power strong enough to defeat her father. And when that day comes, all of us who bound ourselves to 'Master' will be freed. The devotion written on our arms and burned within our souls will be no more.

"I know that one day, Master will try to finish his father's last wish. But until that day, he will not be able to access his complete power. I know that I am one of the few who did not sell their minds, and for that, I am most thankful.

"For fear of being discovered, I dare not sign my name on this. I pray that one day, this evil will be destroyed. But until then, I must continue to work in this clan, to save my family from the evil one's grasp. As long as I pay out my debt to the one called 'Master,' or as those in the sun call 'Jared,' then one day, my family and I will reunite and be free."

Serena closed her eyes and bit her lower lip when she realized Kaiba had finished. "It's a journal entry…"

Kaiba just sat there, staring at the screen. Where would Pegasus have gained this kind of information? If what they knew about the Blood of Darkness was true, there was no possible way of getting this out of the person's mind.

"Seto, do you think you can hack the file?" Serena suddenly asked out of the blue.

"What?" Kaiba replied, shaking from his thoughts.

"Do you think you can hack the file," she repeated, turning her body to look at him. "If my uncle found this file years ago, then there's a possibility that it is still there; or at least, the file's origins could be in its original inscription. So, if you hack the file, can you find out its origin? If we find the origin, we may find the source." Her voice was filled with excitement, but inside she was aching. To learn that her father had killed her mother as a part of his induction was not the greatest knowledge. And to learn he needed to kill her to gain his complete power was not too thrilling either.

_I thought she didn't know anything about computers?_ "I can try," he said quietly, his fingers suddenly flying across the keyboard with familiarity.

"I don't know much, didn't say I didn't know _anything_," she said, her eyes shining gently.

Kaiba didn't reply, but continued typing on the computer. Suddenly, he stopped, a window popping up on the screen. "Serena?" he asked, his brows rising in question. "What language is this?"

"Arabic," she said quietly, confused. "The almighty Seto Kaiba is having problems hacking? Here," she teased, moving his hands from the keyboard and typing into the little boxes. "Password," she mumbled aloud, chewing on her lower lip. "Can we bypass this?"

"We should be able to," he replied, typing in codes at record speed.

"Access Denied," the computer blared at them, shocking them both.

"Isn't there a way to bypass this?" Serena asked anxiously. They had to find out where this file originally came from; then maybe they would learn the name of one of the men in the clan and learn more information.

"Hey Serena, what are you two doing?" Joey asked, popping out of Téa's room and walking over to her and Kaiba, everyone following behind him.

"Uh, well, we just learned about Jared's induction into Blood of Darkness and we're trying to find out the origins of this file," she answered as brightly as she could.

"I can't get past this firewall!" Kaiba yelled out in rage, slamming his fist down onto the end table beside the couch he was seated on. Everyone jumped at his sudden anger, except Serena.

"It's alright; the important thing is that you tried. We already learned so much information; it'll help us in the duel tomorrow," she said to him calmly, taking his hand in hers and rubbing her thumb along his knuckles.

Kaiba calmed slightly and looked at her. _I don't know what it is about her, but she brings me so much…peace?_ "Us?" he questioned, smirking.

"You aren't dueling alone Seto. I'm going to be there, so will Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Téa, and Serenity. We're all standing behind you, especially me, since my life depends on it," she said gently, her eyes gleaming at her attempt to lighten the mood.

"Yeah Kaiba, as much as I don't like ya, I'm gonna stand behind ya this once. Serena is my friend and she's depending on ya to win this. It's not just another duel, and it's not gonna be like when ya dueled Pegasus. Somethin' is tellin' me this is gonna be harder and as much as you won't want to admit it, you're gonna need our support," Joey spoke up, his eyes holding fire inside of them. He didn't just dislike Kaiba, he practically hated him. But Serena's life depended on him and so he'd have to stand behind him and trust him.

"We're all behind you Kaiba. Every one of us," Téa said quietly, smiling at the emotionless face staring back at her.

"Kaiba," a quiet voice spoke up, bringing Kaiba's attention to his archrival, Yugi. "I want you to use my Dark Magician, along with these cards," he said quietly, handing Kaiba five magic cards all benefiting the magician. "It's helped me out of many tough spots and well, I want you to use it. I know you'd probably prefer my god card, but true strength—"

"Doesn't lie in power, but in one's heart," Serena finished for him, smiling at Yugi.

"Thank you…and, I'll try to remember that," Kaiba said quietly, and shocked everyone by accepting the cards. "You'll get them back, don't worry," he teased, knowing very well how much Yugi loved those cards.

"Since we're giving cards to help you out, I have three I need to give you as well. And I expect these back because I'm going to use them to defeat you in Battle City," Serena said brightly, pulling her backpack out which lay by the couch. "My uncle sent me these cards to boost my deck. They will prove most useful." Grinning, Serena handed him her three Gate Guardian cards, watching him with great interest as he studied the cards.

"I'll give these back; if I didn't, the press would have a field day with the information you'd give them. But…don't expect them to be enough to beat me," he said, a smile showing on his hard face.

At that moment, Kaiba's stomach rumbled, telling him he was low on food. Blushing slightly, he looked at all the faces around him. "I guess all this giving of cards has made me a little hungry."

"A little?" Serena asked, her eyes holding that teasing glint.

As if it were a joke, Kaiba began to laugh a true and genuine, heartfelt laugh. It was as if he couldn't help it. Everyone joined in as Joey's stomach grumbled in agreement with Kaiba's, followed by Tristan's.

"I'll order in pizza," Serena said, giggling. _We're going to make it,_ she thought gladly as she took hold of the cell phone Kaiba offered her and dialed in the numbers to the pizza place she had eaten at with Joey and Yugi a couple weeks before.

Note: **Lady Light – I have no idea…heh, but I suppose in my story, he doesn't. That or his mind had a mental lockdown. Happens to me so many times *sweatdrop* Anyways, in my story, Kaiba doesn't read Arabic…and I _did_ mean Arabic…I guess I forgot to change it on this chapter. Anywhoie ^_^**


	20. Chapter 18: Surprises

A/N: Um, that card…"The Angel of Dreams" that I made up, I've changed the attack power and defense power. So, if you read the earlier chapter where it was 2750/2350, that has now changed by 1000, but I do mention it again... Just so you all know. Anyways hehe ^_^ Oh yea, in my story, everyone is like, 16, 17. I'm sure I failed to mention that earlier. And Kaiba is 18.

**Chapter Eighteen – Surprises**

"I can't believe you ate all that pizza Joey!" Serena exclaimed, staring at the empty pizza boxes before them.

"Tristan helped," Joey said, a burp escaping his lips. "Heh."

"Joey!" Serenity chastised, slapping her older brother lightly.

_Oh brother._ Kaiba rolled his eyes slightly as the conversation switched gears around the table. It wasn't until the subject got onto rare duel monsters cards that he suddenly became interested and remembered a card that Serena held in her deck which he wanted so it would not be used against him.

"What was that rare card you were telling me about Serena?" Yugi asked, all eyes turning on the blonde haired beauty seated beside Kaiba who suddenly fidgeted in her seat.

Serena noticed Kaiba's eyes suddenly seem to spark with interest as they turned towards her. "Umm, which one?" she asked casually, a slight flush on her face.

"Wait, first, I want to know where your Blue Eyes came from," Kaiba said coolly, his eyes slightly narrowing.

"Well Kaiba, if you must know," Serena began, facing him and noticing a slight twinge on his face as she used his formal name. "My uncle discovered that there were only three useable Blue Eyes, so he created another one and had it authenticated. You aren't going to destroy this one too, are you?" Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, noticing another twinge on his face. _Why am I being so rude to him…although he does look cute when he's angry…well, he always looks cute, but that's besides the point._

Kaiba growled softly and grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed it gently. "No, but you best not use it when you duel me," he said simply, his grip on her hand never releasing.

"So tell us about this rare card," Tristan said, munching on some chips Joey had found in the cabinets.

_Where do their stomachs end?_ "Alright, it's one of a kind. My uncle gave it to me before I came here; it's very special. I keep it with me at all times, but unfortunately, I have yet to use it in a duel." Serena grabbed her duel disk which had somehow managed to find its way to the counter near the table and pulled out her deck, rummaging through it to find the card in question.

_Hmm…wasn't this the card that went on the computer as her rarest card? It was the Dark Magician Girl…I think…I wonder why it wasn't the Blue Eyes…hmm…Well, then it changed. _Kaiba stared at Serena, as she smiled when she found the card.

"Alright, here it is." Serena held the card up, a proud smile on her face as everyone marveled it.

"The Angel of Dreams," Yugi read quietly as he inspected the card. "Explain it Serena, I want to hear all about it!" he exclaimed, the light shining brightly in his eyes.

"Alright…where do I begin?" Serena bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows. "Okay. It's named after my mother, Celeste Pegasus. Well, it was created with her in mind. Uncle Max was going to host another tournament and give this card as part of the prize, but when he learned of my plans to duel in Kaiba's Battle City tournaments, he changed his mind about the card and gave it to me, to aid me in my duels. She bears an attack power of 3750 and a defense power of 3350, making her one of the strongest cards. Only a few cards have the power to take her down, then again, if you play the right cards, you can destroy even the strongest monster. Anyways, she has a great special effect. When she is sent to the graveyard by loss in battle, then I am allowed to summon any monster with an attack between 1500 and 2500 and 150 life points of damage is inflicted upon my opponent. If I sacrifice the monster, then the same effect occurs, minus the damage on my opponent. But, I'm not sure how she fares in battle as I've not yet played her." Serena finally finished her speech and looked at all the faces before her who were in awe at the card. Even Kaiba seemed a little surprised by it. _I'd planned to keep this card a surprise until I battled him…oh well._

"Why am I not using that one in battle?" he finally asked her, his eyebrow rising in question.

"Oh…well, umm…I guess I'm being a little selfish because I've never used it and I guess I just wanted to be the first…I guess I won't get to use it if I don't survive though," she said lightly, handing the card to Kaiba.

He eyed her with question and accepted the card, no plans to use it in mind, only to remind him what he was fighting for.

"Hey, I'd love to stay and chit-chat, but I need to go," Tristan said suddenly, standing up and taking Serenity's hand.

"Then I'm goin' with ya!" Joey said, pushing the chair back and almost knocking it over. He still wasn't quite used to the fact that his little sister was enthralled with one of his friends, _especially_ Tristan. And he definitely wasn't going to admit to himself that they were dating. He figured that as long as he denied it, then it wasn't true.

"I should probably get back to the game shop," Yugi said quietly, a few minutes after Joey and the others had left.

"I'll go with you Yugi," Téa said softly, understanding the need for Kaiba and Serena to be alone; something seemed to suddenly be amiss between them. _They could just go off in one of Kaiba's limos, but I have a feeling he doesn't want her leaving this apartment._

"Serena, I'll be back tomorrow. Be here Kaiba," Yugi said, walking out the door.

"I'll be back later tonight, leave a note if you go anywhere," Téa said gently, following Yugi out the door and softly closing it.

Kaiba sighed deeply. He was thankful they had all left, even if _he_ was the one intruding.

"So…" Serena said, unsure of what to say. _Something is off and I think it's what I said earlier…_

"Are you angry with me?" Kaiba asked quietly, finally releasing the hand he had been holding for so long.

"What?" Serena asked, taken aback. "I thought you were angry with me," she whispered gently.

"Because you asked if I was going to destroy your Blue Eyes too?" By the look on her face, he hit it right on the dot. "No, you're right. I've done things in my past that I'm not exactly proud of. I don't even know how you knew that, unless you were exploring my memories," he suggested, raising his eyebrow in suggestion. He'd been doing that a lot lately; rather than narrowing his eyes, he seemed to widen them.

"Well, when you said Blue Eyes, I umm…well, you know…I guess I should quit poking my nose where it doesn't belong," Serena said quietly, hanging her head shamefully.

Kaiba lifted her chin with his hand and forced her to look at him. His eyes softened when he noticed a stray tear fall from her eye. _What is it that she does that makes herself so sensitive…and makes me so…soft?_ "It doesn't matter, it saves me from explaining." He looked at her eyes which were desperately trying to avoid his gaze and struggled with whether or not he should continue. "Serena…please look at me."

Serena blinked back more tears. _What is wrong with me! I have no reason to be crying…_ Slowly, she forced her eyes to look up at his face, surprised to see his icy eyes were warmed a bit. She swallowed and blinked hard, thinking she was imagining things, but his warm gaze was still there.

"I'm sorry," he whispered quietly.

"W-why?" she stuttered.

"Because I can't change in a matter of a few weeks, or months; and I can't change the past. I can't be completely feeling. I've never felt the way you make me do, and honestly, it…scares me. I've only trusted in myself and I've only cared about my little brother for as long as I can remember. And then you come along," Kaiba said, his voice emotionless and then seemingly bitter. Or was that a hidden form of happiness?

"Then you come along," he continued, "and everything changes. You're the first person to talk to me the way you did, and the fact that you can read my mind…well… And then, you're just different from everyone I've ever met. And I don't know what it is about you, but you make me feel the need to change and be a better person." By the time he reached this point in his mini-speech, he was up and pacing the floor.

"And I know you would never ask me to change, but I feel like I need to. You invade my thoughts and preoccupy my dreams. Instead of always focusing on what I've focused on the past three, four years, you're suddenly in my head! And whenever I hear your name, it's like my heart skips a beat. At first, I thought you were working for your uncle, and he wanted to take over my company. Then, you somehow convince me otherwise." He stopped pacing and looked at her.

"When I took you out to dinner in hopes of gaining more information on you, I thought you were breathtaking! You were absolutely gorgeous, but there was no way I was going to tell you. Imagine, me, Seto Kaiba, smitten by a girl related to Pegasus! And then I kissed you, and I know I felt something, but I was so…confused! And I was angry for letting my guard down; I felt like such a fool!" Kaiba growled softly and began pacing the floor again, Serena looking on amused. However, he was too busy to even notice.

"Then I saw you duel as I was in my chopper flying to KaibaCorp headquarters and I had the pilot land it so I could watch you duel. At first, I wanted nothing more than to defeat you, so I wanted to learn your strategies. But then, I realized that was just an excuse to watch _you_. And then, the big one! I saw you enter that pizza place with your hand in Joey's and I felt so jealous; I wanted to be the one who held your hand! I walked right in there and kissed you, hoping he would get the hint that he should keep his hands off! I wanted no one to look at you or touch you in any way; I wanted you all to myself! But then I regretted it because it made me seem soft; and once again, I wasn't sure which way to go. Whether to let you know how I feel or to forget you all together. It was driving me insane; the power you held over me."

Kaiba frowned and closed his eyes. This was definitely a surprise, to even himself. Here he was, Seto Kaiba, eighteen year old CEO of KaibaCorp, and he was pouring out his thoughts…his heart, to another. And to think that he was also putting his life on the line for her; that was a surprise because she wasn't his little brother, she was the girl he was in love with. _I am not in love! _ He growled to himself. _There must be another explanation to this feeling._

"Then, I also had Corinth do research on your past. And in the middle of him telling me what he learned, I receive a call from your father, telling me if I don't give him what he wants, he'll kill you! I was so enraged at him for even threatening you! The thought of you being in danger presented another feeling I had only felt for my brother: worry. I worried that it was too late, but there you were. Then I saw that scar and I was so angry…" Kaiba's voice trailed off when he finally noticed the slight giggles escaping from the object of his confusion. "What is so funny?" he asked, slightly annoyed. _I pour my heart out and she…laughs at me!_

"Seto," Serena said softly, rising from her chair and taking his hands in hers, her heart slightly beating faster.

He looked down at her, his eyes cold from her laughter. His heart beat slightly faster when he felt her hands holding his. He didn't understand this feeling and he most definitely did not understand why she laughed at it.

Serena leaned her head close to his face and kissed his cheek, releasing his hands from her grasp. Whispering softly in his ear, she said, "I care about you in a way I've never cared for anyone before too. It would have been easier for you to save your breath and just say that."

Kaiba furrowed his brows and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. "You're right," he said quietly, his face flushing. How was he supposed to know? He'd never dealt with this before. _That must be it…I care, not love, care,_ he tried to convince himself over and over. _If I love her, then I'll win the duel tomorrow and that will prove it. If I win, I will quit running from these feelings and just—_

Serena cut off his thoughts when she placed a soft and brief kiss on his lips. She smiled at him and would have leaned her head against his chest, had he not brought his lips to hers, capturing another kiss. All his passion and emotion was put into that kiss as he felt himself losing all sense of reason.

~*~*~*~*~

Serena opened her eyes slowly and took in her surroundings. She was laying on the bed she had claimed as her own since she had come to Domino, but she couldn't remember how she had gotten there. Her head seemed to be clouded. She smiled in spite of it all, and closed her eyes once again and snuggled closer to the warm body beside her.

Kaiba smirked as he watched Serena slowly drift back into sleep, using his chest as her pillow. He rubbed her back gently, his eyes drifting to a picture that sat on the small nightstand beside the bed. _It must be her and her mother,_ he thought quietly, noticing a small girl with blonde locks and dark, sapphire eyes so full of life in the arms of a woman who resembled the young girl.

His smirk slowly turned to a frown as he wondered how long the happiness from the picture lasted. Serena looked like she was four or five so it must have been not long before her father took her and her mother into his darkness. He felt Serena slowly stir in his arms and glanced back down at her. Once again, her eyes were open, and this time, they didn't look so confused.

"Seto?" she whispered, noticing that her head lay on his chest; at least, she thought it was his chest.

"Hmm?" he asked her quietly, brushing some hair from her eyes as she turned her face to look at him.

"What happened?"

Kaiba chuckled and sat up, pulling her into his lap, her head once again resting upon his chest. "You said you had a headache," he whispered gently, kissing her forehead.

"But…" Serena trailed off, unable to convey her thoughts. _How did he wind up in here?_

As if he read her mind, he kissed her forehead once more and opened his mouth to explain.

~*~*~*~*~

_They had been standing in the kitchen for at least ten minutes, holding each other. 'At least I finally told her how I feel…somewhat,' Kaiba thought to himself, resting his chin on Serena's head and en__joy__ing the feel of her against him._

_"Seto," she whispered gently, really hating to break the serene moment. "I have a headache."_

_Kaiba smirked and looked into her eyes, shocking her with the concern that was in his. "Do you know where Téa keeps her aspirin?" he questioned, not releasing her._

_"No," Serena answered groggily. "I'm tired," she whined._

_Kaiba chuckled and lifted her up in his arms. "Then sleep, it'll make the headache go away," he whispered, walking down the hall and entering a room which happened to be hers. He laid her down gently on the bed and put a blanket over her._

_"Seto," she called as he reached the door and continued as soon as he turned around. "Don't leave." Her eyes were pleading and he found he couldn't deny her what she wanted. He would have given her the world had she asked; well, he at least would have tried to._

_"Alright," he mumbled, although he would rather lay here with her than sit outside her room with nothing to do. Slowly, he walked over to her bed and sat upon it, wrapped his arm around her, and smiled when he felt her head lay on his chest._

_He sat there, watching her drift off to sleep and smiled once again. 'I honestly have no idea what's happening to me…and I keep trying to ignore it, but I don't think I want to anymore. As much as I tell myself I'm going to fight it, I don't think I have the willpower to do so.'_

_Gently, Kaiba moved himself so he could kiss her forehead and returned to the position he was previously in. "Sleep my angel," he said quietly, before closing his own eyes._

~*~*~*~*~

"Oh," Serena said quietly, a small smile forming on her lips. "How long was I asleep?"

Kaiba looked at the clock and smirked. "An hour and a half. Do you feel better?"

"Yes."

"Good." Kaiba held her closer to him, if that was possible, and let out a deep sigh. He'd finally resulted to giving in to his feelings completely…at the moment. He was worn out from ignoring how his heart felt when it came to her and reminded himself the reason he was fighting for her life was to prove his feelings to her, to him, and to everyone.

"Should we get something for dinner?" Serena asked a few minutes later, realizing it was around five-thirty.

"Later," Kaiba said gently, nuzzling his face in Serena's hair. "I want to sit like this a moment longer."

Serena blushed but did not scorn the feeling of the moment. In fact, she rather enjoyed it. _I guess it is a little bit of a surprise for him to be acting this way. But…it's nice. Surprise or not._


	21. Chapter 19: Sunset

A/N: alright…clarification: Battle City – Yugi gains all three god cards. My story – Kaiba still has his, Yugi has his, and there is another one missing. No, Marik doesn't have it. Anyways, trying not to confuse anyone who may have already seen those episodes. I, unfortunately, haven't seen a new episode for about 2-3 weeks now (well…at the time I typed this chapter) -_- Anyhow, the first Battle City did happen, but no one lost their god cards except Marik, but Yugi didn't acquire it…it got "lost". Heh, hope I'm not being confusing. And I think Jared mentioned "Shadow Realm" in a previous chapter…well, just pretend he said "Realm of Darkness" because I've yet to change it…

Oh yes, I do apologize for my lack of updates, I've been extremely busy and haven't had time to overview this chapter, so I'm doing it right now, early Sunday morning. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews, makes me smile ^_^ I'll try to have another update sometime this coming weekend, but I've got this major history project and band stuff going on. Alright already, here's chapter nineteen. ^_^

**Chapter Nineteen – Sunset**

"If the Egyptian god cards are the strongest cards in all duel monsters and Kaiba has one, then shouldn't he win?" Téa asked Yugi while they sat around a table where all Yugi's cards were laid out. He had been explaining all his cards and how to use them properly since they had arrived at the game shop an hour or so earlier.

"Téa, just because it is a strong card doesn't mean it's unstoppable. With every strength lies a weakness. I'm sure Jared knows about Kaiba's card and I'm sure that he has some pretty strong cards. Besides, there is still that other god card out there. It's possible that Jared somehow has it," Yugi said quietly, picking up Slifer the Sky Dragon and studying it.

"But wouldn't we have heard of it by now Yugi? It's been a few years since the first Battle City Tournament and no word has been heard of that other god card since."

"Who knows Téa, who knows." Yugi gathered his cards together and placed Slifer on the bottom. _You may be the strongest card I have, but I can't risk using your power unless it's absolutely necessary._

~*~*~*~*~

"Seto!" Serena whined.

"No," he said firmly, his eyes narrowing.

"Please?" She tried another tactic and gave him her innocent, pleading puppy eyes.

Kaiba growled and looked away. _I hate it when I receive those eyes. Mokuba still does that to me and I can't seem to ever say no._

"Is that a yes?" Serena's eyes lit up with hope and thought she had won.

Kaiba smirked and leaned down close to her ear, knowing full well what she was expecting. "No," he whispered softly and walked past her into the living room.

"Seto Kaiba!" Serena yelled, following him. "I'm not staying cooped up in this apartment. I'm not afraid of him; you know I'm not! He's not going to try anything until tomorrow evening when you two duel and you know it! If you won't go with me, then I'll go by myself!" _Nothing like a little defiance. Besides, he's treating me like a child! But I guess it doesn't do me much good to whine to myself._

Kaiba growled again and turned to face her, his face emotionless. Without saying a word, he walked back into her room, rummaged through her clothes, and returned with a black jacket.

_I won!_ Serena took the jacket and pulled it on over her white tank top and smiled at Kaiba. "Let's go!" She took hold of his hand and headed for the door, Kaiba grudgingly and unwillingly following.

Ten minutes passed as the two seemed to walk aimlessly around Domino. Silence had engulfed them and Serena was mentally beating herself up.

_I should have just conceded and stayed at the apartment. But still, I can't be cooped up all day and he knows that. Besides, if he wasn't there, he knows I would have gone off on my own…he can't control me. I don't see why he's sulking to himself._

Serena frowned and looked at her companion. Somehow, he seemed different from all the other times she had studied him. His hair was being tossed gently about by the breeze, but his eyes never moved. They were fixed in a narrow position and they were cold. But there was something more to his eyes that was frightening. She couldn't quite place her finger on it, but she knew it had to do with anger.

_Does she know the kind of danger she could be getting herself in to? She may be well able to care for herself and she may be strong, but she doesn't seem to understand! You don't mess with people like this, even if they are related to you. I should have stood firm and said no, but she wasn't going to sit around. She would have snuck out behind my back! Serena, you're putting yourself into more danger than necessary!_ Kaiba's mind was repeating over and over again. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice they had stopped walking. He had been letting Serena lead for the past ten minutes and had paid little attention to everything they had passed.

"I'm sorry," he heard her soft voice speak, bringing him back to reality. He opened his mouth to speak, realizing she must have heard his thoughts, but she cut him off.

"I guess I wasn't thinking really. I just wanted some fresh air…I hate feeling like I have to stay inside and it was so beautiful out that I guess I just ignored that fact of what went on last night. I'm sorry I upset you Seto," she whispered softly, leaning up against his chest.

Kaiba's expression was blank as he put his arms around Serena and ignored the fact that there were probably people around watching. "I guess I shouldn't have been so upset, but I felt better when you were in the apartment. I'm just worried about your safety, that's all," he admitted gently, kissing the top of her head. _If there are any reporters around, they are going to have a field day with this one._

"The famous Seto Kaiba was worried? About a girl related to Pegasus?" Serena asked jokingly, pulling out of his embrace and smiling lightly.

"She's not just any girl," Kaiba replied, his voice becoming that of a love-sick preteen. "She's an angel!"

Serena laughed as she rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop the faint blush from climbing up her face. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really." Kaiba smiled down at her and took hold of her hand. He glanced around their surroundings and calculated in his head. "Come," he said briskly, pulling her with him.

"As if I have a choice!" she exclaimed, smiling as she quickened her pace. _I wonder where we're going._

~*~*~*~*~

"You said she left the apartment?" a voice growled in the darkness.

"Y-y-yes M-master," a man stuttered, his face bowed down.

"Do not stutter when speaking to me!" 'Master' snapped back at the man, his eyes growing colder than they were. _Well, well, well, it seems she has a problem staying in one place._ A smirk crept up on his face as he turned and faced his newest servant. _Tomorrow, she'll be stuck in the Realm of Darkness. We'll see how she en__joy__s that. Oh wait, she'll be dead. Such a pity!_

"Jared," a voice called the man, bringing him back to reality.

"Yes Mitch?" he asked, annoyed at his apprentice for interrupting his contemplation of what tomorrow would bring. Jared had insisted his apprentice refer to him as "Jared" rather than as "Master" since he would one day take over that role.

"She is with Seto Kaiba," he reported, bowing his head slightly.

Jared growled and eyed his servant. "Go," he said curtly and smirked cynically as the man scurried out of the dank room, stumbling over himself.

"Seto Kaiba will lose to me tomorrow." An evil smile spread across Jared's face as he looked at Mitch. "Did you find that card?"

"Yes Jared."

"And the holder?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Gone, as you requested."

"Good, good," Jared replied, snatching the card held out to him. _The Winged Dragon of Ra. Such a delight to have finally met you. I cannot wait until you defeat Seto Kaiba tomorrow in our little duel._ Jared laughed cynically as he pulled out his deck and placed the card within it. _Oh yes, tomorrow evening shall be most eventful. To gain the Millennium Ruby Necklace and it's powers and value will be the greatest thing I have accomplished. But to rid me of my illegitimate daughter and her 'lover' will be even more satisfying!_

"Mitch, I want you to do something for me," Jared said, his eyes narrowing into tiny slits.

"Yes Jared, whatever you desire," Mitch replied, his voice monotone and his expression blank.

"I want you to find my daughter and send some servants to follow her and Seto Kaiba. Have them keep thought of _every_ word spoken and every action, am I understood?"

"Yes Jared," Mitch answered, turning on his heel and exiting the room, a smirk plastered on his face. _The Millennium Ruby Necklace will be mine and I will possess all the powers of darkness and I will be unstoppable! I will be supreme ruler and master of Blood of Darkness and eventually, the world!_

_You are so foolish my dear apprentice. As soon as I have defeated my daughter, I and only I will be unstoppable. I will have no need for you._ Jared turned around and glanced out the dark window which faced the sea, a scowl showing on his face. _You will not receive the same fate as my _dear_ daughter. Oh no, you my dear apprentice, shall receive a watery grave and no one will be there to save you for no one will ever know or care._

_You dare defy me, the all mighty, powerful leader and ruler of Blood of Darkness and for that, you shall suffer immensely. I will have no need for a successor once I obtain my goal for I shall become…invincible!_

~*~*~*~*~

"Close your eyes," Kaiba whispered into Serena's ear, causing a shiver to run up her spine.

"Where are we going?" she giggled, shutting her eyes and feeling Kaiba place his hands over them.

"No peeking, I'll make sure of that." Once again, a shiver ran up her spine as he spoke. He had been leading for fifteen minutes when he suddenly stopped walking and went behind her, putting them in their current situation.

"You didn't answer my question," Serena pointed out, realizing she was now walking with Kaiba pressed up against her back.

"You'll see," he said simply and began directing her in which way to go.

~*~*~*~*~

"Yugi, she isn't here!" Téa yelled, running down the hallway of the apartment towards the kitchen where Yugi was sitting, his eyes staring into space. "Yugi?"

"Sorry Téa," he said quietly, blinking a few times to gain back his focus. "She probably went somewhere with Kaiba," he pointed out. "This is Kaiba's cell phone number apparently." Yugi held up a piece of paper towards Téa.

"When did you find this?" she asked, groaning.

"When we walked in, but you were going all frantic." He looked up at Téa's face and grinned sheepishly.

"Yugi! And you let me search the whole apartment!"

"It's not like it's _that_ big Téa. Let's just call him and make sure everything is alright."

"Fine," Téa said, picking up the phone and groaning again.

~*~*~*~*~

"Perfect," Kaiba mumbled to himself when they reached the destination – a small Italian restaurant near the Domino Park. "We're here," he whispered, removing his hands from Serena's eyes, chuckling when she didn't open them. "You can look," he clarified.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, embarrassed, and snapped her eyes open. "You're taking me to dinner," she stated the obvious and turned to smile at Kaiba. "Why was it a sur—"

Kaiba growled as his cell phone began to ring. _What nimwit is it this time?_

Serena smiled and seated herself on a small bench beside the entrance to the bistro and waited for Kaiba to answer his phone, which he did promptly.

"Kaiba."

"Is Serena with you?" Téa asked eagerly, clutching the phone tightly to her ear.

Kaiba looked at Serena, his face amused. "Yes Téa," he replied, emphasizing her name as he looked over to Serena. "Did she forget something?"

"She didn't leave a note and Yugi and I were worried, but we found your cell phone number sitting on the table so Yugi suggested we call you because he figured she was with you and—"

"She's with me, she's fine, we're getting ready to eat, I'll bring her back later," Kaiba replied hastily, about to hang up the phone.

"Okay, bye Kaiba," Téa said, preparing to put the receiver back.

"Kaiba, wait!" Yugi exclaimed, grabbing the phone from Téa. He could almost hear Kaiba rolling his eyes. "Be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary."

Kaiba just grunted and turned off his cell phone. No one was going to bother him and Serena during dinner.

"I didn't leave a note," Serena stated, hanging her head out of embarrassment. "Everyone always worries about me."

"Wouldn't it be better to have at least one person worry than none at all? You have friends Serena, they care about you," Kaiba replied, sitting himself next to her. He felt as if he were almost speaking to his younger self or Mokuba.

"You have people caring about you too Seto. Your little bro—"

Kaiba gently placed his finger over her lips to hush her and stood up, holding out his hand for her. Together, they entered the Italian bistro and were immediately served a table for two outside on the terrace. Neither of them noticed the man hidden in the shadows, watching their every move.

~*~*~*~*~

_"Sunsets are better when you have someone to share them with," a voice beside her said._

_Startled, Serena turned to look at the person who had taken occupancy on the bench. He looked to be about thirteen or fourteen with long black hair. She returned his smile and looked back at the sunset._

_"My name is Mokuba," the boy said, looking intently at Serena._

_"Serena," she said quietly._

_"Shouldn't you be watching the sunset with your boyfriend Serena?" he asked her curiously._

_Serena laughed softly. "I don't have one."_

_Mokuba saw a faraway look come over her eyes as she said that. "Sorry," he said quietly._

_"It isn't your fault. I'm just holding out for the one everyone calls uncaring. Shouldn't you be at home? It's getting late," she said, quickly changing the subject._

~*~*~*~*~

Serena smiled softly as she looked across the table at Kaiba and then up at the sky.

"It's a beautiful sunset," Kaiba whispered, looking back at her.

"Someone once told me that sunsets are better when you have someone to share them with. He was right." She smiled brighter when she noticed a faint crimson color appear on Kaiba's cheeks. _Thank you Mokuba, you were right._

Kaiba chuckled and reached across the table, taking Serena's hand. "Even the sunset cannot compare to your beauty."

Serena's cheeks flushed slightly, but she could not tear her eyes away from Kaiba's icy blue eyes which seemed to hold more warmth than she had ever realized.

_I can't remember when I had such a wonderful time with someone other than Mokuba, but you constantly give me times to remember and en__joy__. Thank you Serena,_ Kaiba silently mused as he continued to gaze at the sunset, every now and then glancing back at his companion and noting how radiant her beauty had become in the darkening night.

_En__joy__ it while you can Serena Pegasus. You are just one step I must complete, one obstacle I must overcome, to ensure my power. You and your necklace. And your father still has no clue what I plan to do. Oh he is as brainless as his servants; to think that I, Mitch Damingo, would actually follow someone as weak as he. It makes me want to laugh. But, you are quite a beauty and not much younger than I. Perhaps there is a way to keep you as my own and cause you to forget your past and to believe what I tell you. Yes, your necklace will be mine, and I just might use you as my queen._

Mitch sat in the darkness in a corner of the terrace, watching the two closely, listening to every word and noticing every action. _They are fools to not admit their love for each other, when it is quite evident. But nonetheless, that will only be their downfall._

The sun had finally gone down and the sky had grown dark. The celestial lights peaked out from behind their black velvet blanket; the bright full moon shining down on Domino. Just enough light shone on the terrace to illuminate look of extreme care between Serena and Kaiba as they stood to leave.

Mitch watched the two leave and stood to take his exit. He knew where they were going and if he didn't want to raise suspicion, he would have to return "home" and tell Jared what he had seen. As he passed under the beam of moonlight, a small smirk illustrated itself on his face.


	22. Chapter 20: Nightfall

**Chapter Twenty – Nightfall**

Kaiba stifled a yawn as he stretched his limbs and blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting to the sunlight streaming in the window of Serena's bedroom. He smirked as he looked at her sleeping figure beside him, peaceful and serene. Like a calm before a storm.

~*~*~*~*~

_"You need to sleep Serena, tomorrow is the duel. You too Kaiba," Yugi said almost commandingly, the moment the two walked in the door to the apartment._

_Serena laughed and smiled at her close friend. "I know Yugi," she said simply, walking past him and heading for her room. "Going to sleep right now. Goodnight Yugi, Téa."_

_Kaiba smirked and followed her to her room. "She's lucky to have friends who care," he said quietly, before closing the door behind him, leaving Yugi and Téa looking at each other with wonder._

_"Seto," he heard his name being called out once he had finally settled himself beside Serena on her bed._

_"Hmm?" he questioned, turning his body to face hers, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight flowing in through the window._

_"I umm…I just wanted you to know that…I had a wonderful time at dinner. And umm…well, I think you should know that…I think I lo—"_

_A loud crash interrupted Serena and startled her, causing her to jump slightly. 'What was that?' both she and Kaiba asked in the silence of their minds._

_"It's okay, everything is under control!" they heard Téa yell from kitchen. "Just a broken glass!"_

_'How can I tell him what I was about to tell him? I know he's fighting for my life tomorrow and that I have to let him and trust in him but…what if he really only cares about me to a minimum and is just confused…' Serena's thoughts trailed off, tears threatening to spill from the wells hidden within her eyes._

_"Serena?" Kaiba's voice was deep and husky and he looked deep into her soul, his eyes searching for the source of the stray tear descending down her face._

_"It's nothing…just something in my eye," she lied, brushing it away._

_"Don't lie to me."_

_"I'm…not."_

_"I've dealt with people long enough to know when I'm being lied to or not. So just tell me the truth." Kaiba voice was strong and cold, but his heart ached when he realized he may be the source for that tear._

_"Do you think you could ever…love someone?"_

_Kaiba blinked. 'I was not expecting that.' He swallowed hard and looked away. 'Why is she asking me this?'_

_"Forget it."_

_"No…I mean, I love my brother. But if you mean…what I know you mean…then…I…" his voice trailed off, unsure how to finish it. But the look on Serena's face told him she already understood._

_"Goodnight Seto," she whispered, turning around and closing her eyes, hearing a mumble in reply._

_Kaiba laid there in the darkness, his mind still contemplating her question. "Do you think you could ever…love someone?" she had asked him, and he still wasn't sure. 'I don't know. The first question to leave me wondering is one of sentiments! Do I love her? I don't know.'_

_Even though he was so sure he didn't know the answer, deep within his heart, he knew he cared deeply for Serena. Love her? Quite possibly. Able to admit it? Only Kaiba could answer that one._

_Slowly, he pulled her close to him and closed his eyes, listening to the rhythmic beating of her heart, playing to him like a mother's lullaby._

~*~*~*~*~

Serena squinted her eyes and closed them again, trying to fall back asleep. _He's watching me…_ Mumbling, she slowly turned over and glared at Kaiba who looked back at her, trying his best to give her the impression of innocence. "A girl can't get beauty sleep when she's being watched," she muttered.

"Who says she isn't beautiful?" Kaiba replied, frowning slightly.

"The clock," Serena mumbled, pulling her pillow over her head to try and block Kaiba's eyes.

"The clock is wrong," he whispered, kissing her cheek as he pulled the pillow away.

Serena didn't reply or respond. She was too busy remembering what she had almost told him the night before. Slowly, she finally turned over and soon found herself pinned between Kaiba's arms. His eyes held a playful look in them, something Serena had never seen before.

"What are you doing?"

"Making sure you don't run," he replied, leaning his face down and planting a gentle kiss on her nose.

"Who says I'm running?" she questioned, slipping her arms around Kaiba's neck and pulling his face down towards hers, submitting herself to his kisses.

~*~*~*~*~

"What do ya think they're doin' in there?" Joey asked, hearing Serena's laughter float through the door to the living room.

"Laughing," Tristan replied.

Téa rolled her eyes and sighed. Serena and Kaiba's laughter had been ongoing for the past seven minutes and everyone's curiosity was rising. _What could they be doing? And Kaiba, laughing?_

The five of them soon heard a door open and turned their heads, only to see Kaiba walking out of the room with Serena in his arms, giggles escaping her lips.

"What were ya two doin' in there?" Joey blurted out, his brows raised in question.

Serena laughed as Kaiba placed her in a chair, heat rising to her face. _I didn't know everyone was here. Well, I suppose we should explain._ She opened her mouth to speak, but Kaiba beat her to it.

"Nothing concerning you Wheeler," he said coolly, seating himself beside Serena.

_He didn't call me dog, mutt—_

"Seto has something he wants to say," Serena said innocently, batting her eyes at Kaiba whose face turned a shade of crimson from embarrassment.

_I can't believe I really have to say this._ He growled quietly and turned to face Serena's friends.

_They'll find out sooner or later Seto, you can't hide it from them forever. And if you don't tell them now, I will tell them how flirtatious you are._ Serena smirked at Kaiba, ignoring his glare.

"I just…want to t-t-t-thank," he stuttered, wincing at saying the word to Yugi and his friends, "you all for standing behind me in the duel tonight." He narrowed his eyes and frowned, a taste of disgust in his mouth from saying those words.

_The first step to making friends. Give them a chance for once Seto._

"You're fightin' for Serena, 'course we'll stand behind ya!" Joey yelled out, a wide grin spread across his face. _She's got him wrapped 'round her finger!_

_Not that far Joey,_ Serena chuckled, scooting closer to Kaiba.

"You're welcome Kaiba," Yugi replied, his innocent smile intact.

"Friends always look out for each other Kaiba. Even if you aren't exactly our friend, we still care," Téa replied quietly, her eyes avoiding Kaiba's stony gaze. But as soon as she made eye contact with him, she would have sworn to herself that his eyes were warm and accepting, had it been anyone other than Kaiba.


	23. Chapter 21: Enter the Realm of Darkness

Chapter Twenty-One – Enter the Realm of Darkness 

"Mitch, have we all we wished to acquire?" Jared asked, pulling the hood of his cloak over his hair.

"Yes Jared," Mitch replied dully.

"Good. Then, I will go and defeat Seto Kaiba and claim the millennium ruby necklace!"

"Jared, if I may be so bold…I wish to go with you."  
"Very well. You will witness the defeat of Seto Kaiba and the death of my daughter, Serena Pegasus!"

With that said, the two men walked up to the surface and stealthily crept in the darkness. One mind was on winning a prize and gaining ancient powers and strength. The other was on undermining the ruler of Blood of Darkness and taking Serena as his bride, converting her over to the darkness. But, they both had one thing in common; they both sought to kill Seto Kaiba.

~*~*~*~*~

The only sound to be heard in Téa's apartment was the ticking of the clock,  signaling that time was indeed passing; for in the living room, it felt as if time were standing still. The hour of darkness was drawing near and the duel would soon begin.

_As soon as that clock strikes __midnight__, they will be here. We have to be ready._ Serena blinked in an effort to moisten her dry eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her adrenaline. She looked around at all her friends as they sat silently, many of their eyes closed, yet she knew they weren't sleeping. _I wish they hadn't gotten dragged into this; but…I know this is how things were meant to play out. I was meant to meet Téa so long ago and I was meant to make friends with Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Serenity as well. And I was supposed to meet Mokuba on that bench and I was supposed to learn that Seto really has a heart. He was meant to fight for my life, and I am meant to destroy my father's dark reign…and him in his entirety._

"Serena," Kaiba whispered quietly, smirking at her. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her eyes narrowed, yet she was staring at nothing in particular.

Serena snapped from her thoughts and focused her sapphire orbs on the man seated before her. "Hmm?" she questioned softly.

"Nothing," Kaiba mumbled, his smirk never leaving his face. He knew he had her curiosity now.

"What?"

"It's nothing, really."

"Seto Kaiba, you had better tell me. I'm not really wanting to read your mind," Serena pouted playfully.

Kaiba's smirk only widened at her response. He leaned close to Serena's ear and whispered nearly inaudibly. "Read my mind and you might just find out what I would like to do to you right now."

Serena blinked as she felt strange shivers run up her spine. His words were almost…eerie. "Oh? And what would that be?"

Slowly, Kaiba pulled her face to his, and planted a rough kiss on her lips, sending sensations through both of their bodies. The kiss would have continued, had the clock not interrupted them.

"It's midnight!" Serena said quickly, pulling back from Kaiba and turning to look at Yami who had been positioned at the window all evening.

"Huh, what?" Joey asked, snapping his eyes open and falling out of his chair.

Serena giggled as she noticed Joey's disheveled hair and slightly bloodshot eyes. He didn't look like the kind of guy who would stay awake all night.

A slight smile formed on her face, until she felt darkness engulfing the apartment.

"They're here," Yami said quietly, his eyes still glued to the darkness outside the apartment.

"Then I suppose it's time to get this over with. No use in prolonging Jared's defeat," Serena said confidently, standing up and pulling Kaiba with her.

"We're all here for the both of ya!" Joey yelled out, coming into the room from the kitchen with a sandwich in his hands.

"Right, let's go." Serena put her hand on the doorknob and prepared to open it. Hesitating, she bit her lower lip and swallowed hard. This duel was not only going to be for her life, but for the fate of the world and balance of good over evil.

Kaiba placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, giving her enough strength to open the door and step out into the unknown darkness. Taking one step outside the door, she stopped. "You all can't come," she said softly, her eyes fixed on the ground.

"What? Why not?" Tristan asked, slightly surprised. Everyone had figured they would all go together and be in it together, but Serena was proving them wrong.

"This isn't just your ordinary evil guy, this is my father, Jared. And this isn't the Shadow Realm, this is the Realm of Darkness. It is too dangerous for everyone to come. You all don't need to put your lives in danger just because of moral support. We can feel your support with us, even when you're not there in physical form; because you _are_ with us…in our hearts." Serena stopped talking and placed a hand over her heart. "Always in our hearts; so it's like you all are with us, even when you're not."

"I'm coming with you," Yami said defiantly, stepping out into the growing darkness, Serena not making a move to protest.

Kaiba was next to step out into the darkness and immediately placed a protective arm around Serena. He turned his head to look at the other four friends standing within the confines of the apartment, staring out the open door.

"Kaiba, make sure that you whoop his butt good," Joey said, slowly closing the door.

"I will Wheeler, I will." _For Serena…and myself._

"Well, where should we go? I have a feeling he isn't going to just show up and duel Kaiba right here," Yami said, facing Serena.

Serena closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the dark midnight black air. Her necklace set off a pale glow, illuminating what was once Téa's doorstep and was now a patch of black gravel. "This way," she said calmly, beginning to head in what seemed to be no direction in particular.

~*~*~*~*~

"Ah, they have entered. I can feel her presence, even though she is not close by," Jared spoke cynically, seating himself in a chair to wait.

"They will be here soon Master; I feel she knows the way," Mitch said, smirking.

"Ah yes, she knows the ways of darkness very well. As soon as I defeat Seto Kaiba and take her life and her necklace, I will find Shadi and destroy him. He has taught her quite well…too well."

"Are you afraid of your own weak daughter, Jared?" Mitch questioned, his smirk growing.

"Not my daughter, but the power she possesses. It is my duty to stop her from learning the full potential of these powers. And I will complete that duty when I defeat Seto Kaiba. The Winged Dragon of Ra is an unbeatable monster; with it in my deck, I will not lose."

"But Seto Kaiba also possesses a—"

"I know very well what he possesses, but I have seen the future in my darkness and it does not look very bright." A sardonic laugh escaped the man's lips as he said this. "No, it does not look bright at all."

~*~*~*~*~

Fifteen minutes had passed, and the three teens were still wandering aimlessly around the dark void, so it seemed. Serena was confident her necklace was leading her to the true darkness.

"What was that noise?" Kaiba asked, jerking his head up and giving the strange noise his full attention.

"What noise?" Serena asked, her eyes focusing on Kaiba's dim lit face.

A strange sound, like a piece of metal being crunched by a machine sounded in the silence, causing the two teens who hadn't heard the noise before stand completely still.

"That one," Kaiba said, crossing his arms and tapping his foot.

Serena sighed and looked to the ground. "It's another soul signing itself over to the darkness and losing the light within. Light is like steel, nearly impossible to destroy. But with the proper equipment, par se, it is easily destroyed."

"But if Jared is here, then how can these soul signings take place?" Yami asked, his brows furrowed in curiosity.

"One does not need the master of Blood of Darkness to sign away their soul to evil. This is the Realm of Darkness, everything evil and dark exists here. Everyday, many people sign away their lives and souls to the darkness, not even knowing they are doing it."

Kaiba frowned and placed his arm back around Serena's waist. "Then I suggest we find this Jared and defeat him as soon as we can."

_Even by destroying Blood of Darkness and Jared, people will still sign their lives away to the darkness. The darkness in its true form is unstoppable, but the darkness in human form can always be defeated. Darkness and light will always exist in realms apart from each other, but on the earth, they will co-exist, clashing for all eternity. Seto, we cannot destroy the darkness for it would upset the balance of good and evil. But, we can destroy Jared…do you understand this?_ Serena's mind questions Kaiba's.

_Yes,_ he replied hesitantly. It was pathetic in his mind that evil would never truly be defeated, but in a law of physics, it did make sense. If good were to outweigh evil and light to outweigh darkness, the balance of those forces would be disturbed. In a sense, one could not exist without the other.

Light needs the darkness to be light and good needs the evil to be good. Just as darkness needs the light to be dark and evil needs good to be evil. It was a circle and a never ending cycle. The two forces cannot exist in a realm together, and yet they can exist in a natural universe together.

"A matter of physics indeed," Kaiba muttered, not noticing they had stopped walking once again.

"Serena?" Yami questioned.

"Just beyond this gate is where the future of the world lies," Serena replied softly, pushing open the gates and stepping into a void darker then the one they had been in the past twenty-three minutes.

"Glad you could join us," Jared's voice was heard, echoing off of invisible walls. "Let us not waste any more time. Come Kaiba, my patience is growing thin. It is time for our battle to commence."

Dim lights flickered on in the room, just enough to make out the features of a dueling arena and Jared's crimson eyes on the other side of the room. A man stood below the platform Jared stood on, his eyes looking at the empty field. As Kaiba withdrew his arm and pulled out his deck, Yami grabbed Serena's hand tightly and took her to the side opposite the strange man's.

"If you insist on pushing forward your defeat, then by all means, proceed. But take this word Jared, I _will_ defeat you!" Kaiba yelled out coolly, stepping up to a dueling platform in the darkness.

"Oh, and why is that?" Jared snickered, his crimson eyes flaring.

"Because I'm fighting for Serena, and she and all her friends stand beside me in this duel!" Kaiba yelled out, surprising even himself at the words he said, as he placed his deck in its proper place. He slipped his hand into his pocket and glanced down at the card. "Angel of Dreams," it read.

_I'm fighting for you Serena. These emotions I feel inside for you are something I've never felt in my life, but I'm about ready to accept them with open arms. I suppose it's time I stop fighting them and start fighting with them. In fact, I guess it's actually time I admit my true feelings for you. I think I just may love you Serena Pegasus. Very unlikely for me to ever fall in love, especially with a Pegasus; and yet I believe it's happened. This battle is for you Serena!_

"Let's start this duel!" Kaiba yelled out, placing his hand on his deck and preparing to draw five cards. _Heart of the cards Yugi always says. I wonder if it's true. But this duel rides on too much to change my strategy now._ Slowly, he drew five cards and briefly closed his eyes. _Here it goes. This is all for you Serena._

Note: I apologize for my lack of updates. Unfortunately, I've been bombarded with homework and marching band *blah* and have not had the time to revise this chapter and check for errors. Anyhow, as soon as I have some time…probably the eleventh, I will fix up the next chapter as I don't like how it turned out and that I was rushed for time as I wrote it…anywho, here's chapter twenty-one…hope I'm not disappointing anyone. (My birthday was two weeks ago! ^_^)


	24. Chapter 22: And So It Begins

Note: I apologize so very much for this taking like…forever to post!! I've been swamped and quarter finals are this coming week, but here it is.

**Chapter Twenty-Two – And So It Begins**

Serena stared up at Kaiba from her place near his podium and blinked hard. Unintentionally, she had read his mind and was now questioning what she thought she had heard his mind say. _Could it be true? Does he feel for me the way I feel for him?_

"Since I'm sure we're all familiar with the rules, why don't you go first Seto Kaiba," Jared commanded more than stated and chuckled to himself. _The fool has no idea what he has gotten himself into!_

"If it means I will defeat you sooner, then I will! I play Dark Titan of Terror in defensive mode and I place two cards face down, ending my turn," Kaiba said, putting his cards in their respective places and glancing across the playing arena at Jared.

Jared smirked and looked at his cards. "Is that all you have to offer me Seto Kaiba?" he taunted. "Well, I'll just have to destroy your monster. And I'll start with this card! Zombyra the Dark!" Jared's horrendous cackling could be heard throughout the entire arena as it echoed off the hollow walls. "And I too, will place two cards face down, ending my turn."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he scanned his hand and drew another card. _Hmm, this will come in handy. And I think now is as good a time as any to use it. His monster looses 200 attack points every time it destroys a monster, bringing it's attack down to 1900…perfect! _ "Did you enjoy your false sense of security Jared? Because that ends now! Opticlops, in attack mode!" Kaiba yelled out, hitting his card to the proper place.

"Your monster is still weaker than mine," Jared sneered.

"That's why I play this magic card! Sword of Deep-Seated! It raises my monster's attack and defense by 500 points, making it stronger than yours. Attack!"

Serena took a deep breath of air as Yami led her a little bit away from the arena and sat down. A faint smile appeared on her face as she watched Jared's life points drop from 4000 to 3600.

"Your turn," Kaiba said smugly, glancing at Serena from his peripheral vision.

"And I'll take it with pleasure! This duel is nearly over Seto Kaiba," Jared stated, drawing a card from the top of his deck. _Perfect. You have already learned to obey your master and serve him when he needs you! _"It's a shame this duel has to end so quickly. I'll now play Nightmare's Steel Cage, stopping all attacks for two complete moves. And now, I will play Kojikocy, in attack mode, and end my turn."

Kaiba quickly drew a card from his deck. _My Blue Eyes!_ "I play a monster face down in defense and end my turn."

_Perfect._ "I now play Feral Imp, also in attack mode. Your turn."

_What is he up to? _Kaiba inquired himself, drawing another card. "I activate Fusion Gate and summon my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Kaiba yelled out, placing his three Blue Eyes in the non-playable stack and his Ultimate Dragon on the arena. _Whatever he is planning, it won't work._

Jared's face was blank as he drew another card. _I think I'll lead Kaiba into a false sense of security._ "Well, all I can do is place this monster face down into defense mode. Your turn Kaiba."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, but he wasted no time in making his move. He could hear Serena's voice warning him, but he quickly shook it away. "Blue Eyes, attack his Feral Imp!" He smirked as Jared's life points dropped to 500. "It looks like you're right, this duel is over."

_Such a fool!_ "Yes, it is, but it isn't turning out the way you had hoped. I active Change of Heart to control your Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Now that I have three monsters on my side of the field, I can sacrifice them to bring out my ultimate weapon!"

"It can't be!" Kaiba yelled out, watching an image appear before him, horror striking his memory of this monster.

"But it is! Winged Dragon of Ra! My monster gains the attack of all the monsters sacrificed to summon it. Now my monster, obey my word and attack!"

Serena watched in dismay as Kaiba's Opticlops was destroyed, as well as a major chunk of his life points.

"There is no monster in your deck that can defeat mine. Not even Obelisk has enough power. And I'm sure you know that magic cards only work for one turn and trap cards have no effect on the Egyptian gods.."

Kaiba didn't even look at Jared, and his face remained emotionless. There was nothing he could do. He would never have the chance to destroy the Winged Dragon of Ra. Not unless, by some miracle, he could come across the card he needed. "I play one card face down and another monster face down in defense."

~*~*~*~*~

After five minutes of Kaiba playing a monster only to have it destroyed, Jared grew weary and decided to change his strategy.

"Well Kaiba, I sacrifice the two other monsters I have on the field to bring forth Red Eyes Black Dragon. Attack," he said, feigning a yawn.

With his life points at 600, Kaiba had to act fast. Being his turn, he remembered a card he had played earlier in the duel. "Rageki!" he yelled out, flipping the card over.

"You fool! That magic card doesn't work on the Winged Dragon of Ra!"

"No, but it does work on your other monsters," Kaiba stated calmly, but inside, his heart was racing. _Serena…there's nothing I can do to stop his god card from destroying me. And by losing, I'll be destroying you as well. I'm so—_

_Don't even think about that Seto. Trust your cards. There is a card you hold in your deck that can destroy Jared's god card._

_I can't summon Obelisk, I'll never have the chance to have three monsters on the field._

_I was referring to a magic card Seto. You'll know when you see it because you've never seen it before. Trust your cards Seto._

Kaiba cocked an eyebrow at Serena's response. _A magic card? Has she lost her mind? Most magic cards don't work on Egyptian gods._

~*~*~*~*~

Throughout the entire duel, Mitch had been standing deep within the shadows; seen, yet unnoticed. _As soon as Jared wins this duel, I will destroy him. And then I will take his daughter as my own and cleanse her mind of all things good and pure. And of course, I will destroy that necklace. For she shall have no recollection or memory of her past!_

Yami turned his head and looked deep within the shadows. Ever since they had entered the arena, he had sensed another presence, besides Jared. When they had walked in, he was certain he had seen another figure near Jared, but in the blink of an eye, that figure was gone. But now he was certain he was right. Yet, instead of investigating, he stayed besides Serena, his arm around her shoulders in a friendly embrace.

~*~*~*~*~

"Face it Kaiba, there isn't a single card in your deck that can destroy my Egyptian god!" Jared yelled out, his eyes burning into Kaiba's.

"Oh really?" Kaiba replied skeptically, staring at the card he had just drawn. _Is this what she was talking about?_ Kaiba chuckled in surprise. _Well, if she said it works…_ "I play a magic card! Egyptian Vortex!"

"What!?" Jared yelled out irately. "It can't be!"

Slowly, a sand tornado appeared on the field and began to circle the Winged Dragon of Ra. As it began to pick up speed, lightning began to flash from a vortex appearing above the Egyptian god. And in a bright flash of light, the god card was gone.

"What just happened!?" Jared yelled out, slamming his fist down.

"Egyptian Vortex removes the opponent's Egyptian god card from play," Serena replied, a smile returning to her face. "It is one of the few magic cards that will work on an Egyptian god. And there are only three of those cards in the world…all in my possession; as of now, Seto has one."

A look of surprise was instantly replaced with a stern look as Jared played a card. "I play Removed-Reborn, allowing me to bring back any of my opponent's monsters from the removed zone."

"My Blue Eyes!" Kaiba yelled out as the majestic white bodied, blue eyed dragon appeared before him.

"It seems your most faithful monster has turned against you Seto Kaiba," Jared sneered. "You may have destroyed my Egyptian god with some strange new magic card, but you won't have time to destroy my life points. In two moves, your points will be down to zero."

Jared tossed his head back and laughed as Kaiba stared at him incredulously, with only one monster left on the field, face down, in defense.

"Mitch," Jared snapped his fingers, and a man emerged from the shadows. "Prepare to take our prize."

"Serena!" Kaiba yelled out as the man advanced towards her.

"This duel isn't over! I advise you to stand your ground," Yami growled, stepping in front of Serena; his eyes daring the man to defy his word.

_I trust you Seto. I know you can defeat him, just trust yourself…and your deck. You know what to do._

_I don't know if I can do this,_ Kaiba screamed out within himself. So much was riding on the single draw of a card.

A/N: Alright…I totally stink at writing like, any form of action whatsoever. Anyways, I'm sure you all know that "Egyptian Vortex" and "Removed-Reborn" are just cards I created to go with my little plot. And I read somewhere that magic cards work for one turn…but I guess I changed that…heh ^_-

So, is Jared going to destroy Kaiba? And if so, will Mitch brainwash Serena's memory of her love and her past? Will she be forced into a life of servitude towards Mitch's lustful desires? Well, we'll find out. *dun dun dun* I'm sure you all know how it's going to turn out. Then again, you may be surprised ^_^


	25. Chapter 23: A New Turn

NOTE: There are only **two** more chapters after this one. Be forewarned ^_^

**Chapter Twenty-Three – A New Turn**

"Any last words Seto Kaiba, for this move shall be your last," Jared stated, his eyes dark and cold, his words cynical and full of hatred.

Kaiba ignored him and slowly drew his card, a glimmer of hope shining in his heart. _With this card...I can draw three cards and discard two. But is the card I need within the next three? _Kaiba looked across the field at his opponent, and swiftly placed his card onto the field face down, for later in his turn.

"I flip Magician of Faith into attack mode, activating her special ability! And the magic card I choose from my graveyard is...Rageki!" he yelled out, watching Jared's monster become nothing more than bits of data.

"Your monster still does not possess enough strength to destroy my life points. And after your pitiful little move, I will destroy you and Serena!" Jared retorted, not at all phased by Kaiba's move.

"And now I activate, Graceful Charity," Kaiba said coolly, flipping the card he had placed not too long ago on the field and preparing to draw three cards. _I need that card to destroy him...but is this such a safe thing...placing my trust into my deck?_

"Are you really that foolish and stupid to risk Serena's life on the simple draw of a card? Honestly Seto Kaiba, I thought you possessed more sense than that," Jared taunted, his voice eerie in the seeming to grow darkness.

"Don't listen to him Seto! Trust your deck!" Serena yelled up to him, grasping tightly to Yami's arm.

Kaiba's eyes flashed and filled with fire as they burned into Jared's soul...if he even had one. "I'm choosing to trust in my deck to give me the card I need to defeat you! I love Serena and I will not lose!"

"Love is for the weak!"

"You're wrong," Kaiba replied, shaking his head sadly. "I've finally learned that love is how the strong survive." He swiftly drew three cards and quickly glanced at them. _It can't be!_ his mind yelled out, his eyes somewhat widening. _The card I need!_

"I play Monster Reborn! And I bring back the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" he said rather calmly, every word iced over with fire. His smirk returning to his face as his three headed dragon appeared before him. "Blue Eyes, attack his life points directly!"

A gentle smile appeared on Serena's face and her grip eased up on Yami's arm as she watched the life point reader for Jared reach zero. "I knew you could do it Seto!" she yelled out as he descended from the platform and took her into his arms, the darkness surrounding them slowly fading into the light of the Domino Harbor.

"No, this can't be...I, Jared, ruler and master of Blood of Darkness has...failed..." Jared muttered to himself, unable to move from his spot.

Upon hearing his mumbling, Serena's eyes glazed over with fire as she turned to her "Father." "Light cannot stoop to the levels of darkness, so therefore, I cannot kill you. But your fate rests in my hands, and do not think I will go easy on you," she began, her necklace glowing brightly and the eye of Horus appearing upon her forehead. "It has been my destiny since five millennia ago to destroy you, and with the help of Seto Kaiba, Yami, and Serena Pegasus, I have achieved my destiny."

"Who are you?" Jared questioned, his eyes growing wide in horror.

"I am the spirit of the Millennium Ruby Necklace, and I will finally be able to rest in peace and harmony, knowing that I have finally brought your reign of darkness to an end. Five millennia ago, and before that, it was my sworn duty to defeat Blood of Darkness, but I failed, and so I sealed myself away within this necklace, knowing that one day, the prophecies would come true, and I, in the form of Serena, would defeat the ever growing darkness, and restore the balance of light overweighing darkness.

"I have sat in slumber, awaiting the moment when love would awaken me, and bring me out of the ruby and to the world again; the moment when my powers would arise and I would be needed to destroy you," the spirit who had taken residence in Serena's body spoke calmly, her eyes never leaving Jared's.

Yami watched in utter amazement as Serena ascended a few feet above the ground and glared down at Jared. He stifled a chuckle at Kaiba's face, full of astonishment and wonder.

"I sentence you to the Realm of Darkness, where you will wander the labyrinth for all eternity, never finding any form of light, never being able to break free. Blood of Darkness is no more!" Serena, or rather, the spirit of her necklace, stretched out her arm, her hand opened up, and closed her eyes as a bright light emerged from it, engulfing Jared and Mitch into it without making a sound.

"The servants of Blood of Darkness have been freed and will return to their lives and their families. I am now able to slumber in peace, knowing I have fulfilled my destiny. Serena will not remember much of this, if any, except for the duel and the knowledge that her...father has been destroyed. Seto Kaiba," she called out, her eyes narrowing on him, "I have been watching you, and if ever a time comes where I must emerge from my slumber again, due to your lack of human qualities, I will not hesitate to do so. Take care of her, for although she is strong willed, her past has caused her heart to be frail." With those departing words, the spirit sank back into the necklace, releasing Serena to her body.

"Seto," she whispered quietly, smiling at him as he lifted her up into his arms and cradled her. "I knew you could do it…thank you." Tears welled up in Serena's eyes as two realities hit her. One – she was safe from the evil which had been chasing her, her whole life; and which had killed her mother. And two – she had lost the father she had never known.

"For what?" he asked, slightly amused as he followed Yami, who had become Yugi, to the game shop.

"For saving me...and taking the risk. I want you to know that I, I lo..." Serena's voice trailed off, as slumber overtook her body, dragging her into a world of peaceful and calm dreams.

~*~*~*~*~

Serena's mouth opened and a yawn escaped through her lips. Slowly and groggily, her eye lids lifted, revealing her room in Téa's apartment. _Was that all just a terrible nightmare?_

Blinking a few times to adjust to the light in her room, Serena sat up and stretched, glancing quickly at her clock. It was already one-twenty in the afternoon. As Serena was about to stand, the door to her room burst open.

"You're awake," Kaiba stated, placing himself beside her on her bed.

Serena didn't say anything, just slightly nodded her head, which had begun to hurt immensely. _If this is what a hangover feels like, I'm never going to drink one sip of alcohol._

"Are you ok?" Kaiba turned his body to face hers and lifted her chin, meeting her eyes with his.

"I'm…fine Seto," was all she said, before gently closing her eyes.

"Good. Come," he commanded, standing and pulling her to her feet.

"I'd rather not. My head feels like a ton of bricks."

"You just said you were fine."

"You never specified what fine meant. Fine as in emotionally; fine as in physically; or fine as in I slept well," she countered emotionlessly.

"Stay here," he commanded once more and left the room, only to return a few minutes later with a glass of water and a couple advil.

"Thanks," Serena mumbled, swallowing the pills.

"Let's go."

"Wait, Seto…I…"

"What is it?" Kaiba questioned, facing her, raising a brow in question.

"I don't remember much after you beat Jared. It all seems like a terrible nightmare. As much as he was evil…he still was my father…by blood. Did another spirit really…take over my body?"

Kaiba smirked slightly at Serena's innocence. Sixteen, close to seventeen, seeing all she has of the world, and yet still as innocent as a child. "It was all real Serena," he said coolly, pulling her along with him. "We'll talk about it later," he whispered over his shoulder, bringing her outside with him.

"Where are we going?" she asked confused, as Kaiba opened the door to the limo and motioned for her to get inside.

"You'll find out soon enough," he said quietly, his voice that of a calm and gentle river.

As he sat beside Serena, he pulled her into the safety of his arms, thankful the events of the previous night were over, and she was alright. But, he wasn't completely the one who had saved her. True, he had dueled, but the card he used was not his own.

_If it wasn't for Yugi and his Graceful Charity…I would never have saved Serena. Graceful Charity…just like Yugi._ Kaiba chuckled and kissed Serena's head, noticing she had probably fallen asleep again. _That spirit certainly made her tired._

"Sleep my angel of light," Kaiba whispered faintly, placing one more gentle kiss atop Serena's head. _I love you._

A/N: Um…I know it's um…short. But umm…I erm, well…it leads into the next chapter, which I'm not giving much away but let's just say it's umm…well…it's been like…two weeks since I wrote this chapter so umm…heh oops? O_o;;

Marik (mumbling): Incompetent fool.

Heh…*sweatdrops*


	26. Chapter 24: Sweet Embrace

**Chapter Twenty-Four – Sweet Embrace**

"Serena, we're here," Kaiba spoke gently, not wanting to startle her out of her sleep.

"Hmm?" she yawned, stretching her limbs and sitting up. She blinked when she noticed Kaiba missing and a hand being held out to her. Wearily, she took hold of it and stepped out of the limo. "Seto?"

"What do you think?" she heard him asking her quietly as she held in her surprise.

She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to clear out any sleepiness and glanced around her. She had seen many pictures of the Kaiba mansion before, but she had never seen it in such splendor. "It's beautiful," she breathed, taking in the wonder of the many flowers adorning the garden.

Kaiba smirked and led her through the maze of daisies, daffodils, tulips, irises, pansies, and all sorts of flowers to one special section, close to the front entrance of the mansion. There, he bent down and snapped a stem, bringing a white rose, outlined with pink, to Serena's face. "For you," he said softly, placing it in her hands, a smile softly illuminating his features.

Serena stood on her tip-toes and kissed Kaiba's cheek in response before being pulled in another direction. Once again, he stopped and snapped another stem, before standing again. This time, he placed the flower gently over her ear.

"Even the purest of snow edelweiss cannot compare to the beauty of your pure heart," he whispered softly before pulling away and staring straight into her eyes.

A small crystalline tear formed at the base of Serena's eye before slowly taking its exit and trickling down her face. _In all my life I have searched for someone I could trust fully…with my heart. And now, after seeing who he truly is…I know I can trust him completely._ "Seto," she whispered gently, leaning her head against his chest.

"Hmm?" he questioned, his arms wrapping around her and his hands running gently up and down her back.

With nothing standing in the way of her saying what she had longed to say for a few days, she faltered. Taking a deep breath, she mumbled quietly into his chest.

Kaiba chuckled slightly before lifting her chin and searching her eyes. For the first time since his parents' death, his eyes were ablaze with life, and now they matched those of Serena's. "I love you too," he whispered, covering her lips in a warm kiss of passion.

~*~*~*~*~

The two lovers walked hand in hand among the gardens, slowly making their way around the mansion and to the back. The sun had begun its descent from the sky, painting the blue pallet with blends of pinks, oranges, and purples, and creating oblong shadows in the fading light. The circular orb of the moon could be slightly seen on the other side of the early evening sky, while a few stars peaked their faces out from behind their hiding.

Slowly, they approached a wire gazebo set near a small pond with a white wooden bridge crossing from one side to the other. Small icicle like lights hung from the sides and water lilies floated in the shining waters. The gazebo was that of white wire with green ivy running up the sides of it and pink roses adorning the circular top. Within the gazebo sat a small table with two chairs on opposite ends. Sitting in the center of the table was a single candle, brightly shining in the fading light.

Without a word, the two walked into the gazebo, passing by the hanging lamps on the sides of the cobblestone pathway.

"It looks like something from a Monet painting," Serena whispered silently, her eyes glancing around her as Kaiba took his seat.

"I thought you may like it," he commented, smirking.

"And I always thought that Seto Kaiba was never one for soft spots," she teased.

"Maybe so, but I am one for studying and I learned it helped to have an inspiration, so despite what everyone may thing, there is an inspiration for Seto Kaiba outside of the world of technology."

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"And when did you discover this?"

"Actually, a young lady taught me. Very beautiful in fact. Charming too. You may know her."

Serena smirked before replying, "Who might she be?"

"You," he mouthed, taking her hand from across the table. "You gave me an inspiration that night I took you to dinner on 'business.' I knew there needed to be life outside of the mansion, so I hired some landscapers – only the best – and this is the result. You showed me there's more to life than dueling and revenge. That there's more to life than darkness," he whispered softly, gently caressing her hand.

"Seto, I…I want you to have this," Serena faltered after staring at him for a few minutes. She quickly pulled a ring off one of her fingers and placed it in his palm, closing his fingers around it. "My uncle had kept some things from my mother's childhood and teenage years safe, knowing he would one day be able to give them to me. Anyways, my grandfather gave this to my mother on her thirteenth birthday and ever since my uncle gave it to me on my thirteenth birthday, it's been very special to me."

Kaiba raised his brow and glanced at the ring in his hand, his eyes widening in sudden fascination. The ring was a twist of white gold and black pearl with a small golden heart shape at one point. Lightly, he ran his fingers over it, before glancing up at Serena in question.

"My uncle told me there's a story behind the ring, behind the colors that make it. See, the white and black symbolize the light and darkness within everyone and how they exist together. 'With every good there is always bad,' he would always tell me. But even though there is darkness within everyone, there is still that…heart of gold. I want you to have this…as a reminder that no matter how dark and bleak things may seem, there is always that hope of light from within. And…I want you to always remember me, no matter where our lives may lead us."

Kaiba smirked before bringing her hand to his lips and softly kissing it. _As long as I trust others, I will never allow you to leave me._

Serena laughed softly before standing up and grasping Kaiba's hand, tugging on him in an effort to make him stand. _You don't have to worry, I'll never leave you. As long as I am able to make choices of my own, I will choose to always be here._

"And where are we going?" he asked, standing to his full height and following the blonde haired beauty to the bridge.

"To catch the last rays of sunlight and the last hues of the sky Mr. Kaiba," she replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh really?" he smirked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her stomach. "Is _that what you want to do Miss Pegasus?"_

"Or we could stay here," she whispered, glancing at their reflection in the sapphire colored water, shining like the stares.

A gentle breeze picked up, blowing the snow white edelweiss from Serena's hair and out over the water where the moon was now being reflected in its entire glory. Each star that was reflected back into the night sky was like a precious gem being laid upon a royal, plush pillow. The edelweiss landed soundlessly on a lily pad, creating a gentle ripple in the calm waters.

As the breeze picked up, the lovers' hair started to gently blow in the wind. But even among the rustling of the trees, grass, and clothing, the only thing that could be heard was the gentle whispering wind, caressing their ears with a sweet embrace.

*SNIFFLES!* I can't believe this is the last actual chapter of my story!!!!!! I had originally ended in it one way, but I deleted that chapter after a second of deliberation and realization that I did not like it at all. *sniffs* I'm in a romance mood tonight as I realize I will be thankful to have any in my actual life. *grabs a tissue*  I want you all to know that I've enjoyed your reviews and they were the reason I found I could not abandon this story as I had to my other two. *heh* This is not the **complete end of the story, there will be one more chapter, but it's only a short epilogue around a page and a half on Word. But, be looking out for it. (I should have it posted by Saturday evening as I have a football game Friday evening and regional competition tomorrow -_-)**

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! You all are great! ^_^**


	27. Epilogue: Embrace the Future

And here it is…the final "chapter" of **Learning to Trust**. Which…will be followed by a brief note. So enjoy.

**Epilogue – Embrace the Future **

It had been three years since the second Battle City. Three years since Jared had been destroyed and Blood of Darkness had ended. Three years since Kaiba had told Serena he loved her. Three years to add to their lives, bringing Serena to nineteen years.

The finals of the fourth Battle City had arrived, Serena and Kaiba both finalists. She smirked, remembering the time when she had defeated him, only to lose to Yugi. But surprisingly, he never grew angry over his defeat. It was as if his priorities had straightened out.

"Shouldn't we be heading to the arena now?" she asked, breaking from her thoughts and glancing over her shoulder as Kaiba, typing rapidly into his laptop.

"Hmm…when I'm finished with what I have to do," he replied, his voice monotone.

"What about the duel and the finals?" Serena asked quietly, looking out the window of Kaiba's bedroom.

"The duel can wait," Kaiba said softly, rising from his chair and walking over to Serena. He nuzzled his head against her as he placed soft kisses on her neck and wrapped his arms tightly around her stomach.

Serena smiled and turned around, facing the love of her life. She gave in to his demanding kisses and allowed him to lift her in his strong arms, twirling around the room. "What are you doing?" she laughed, enjoying the feeling within her.

Kaiba smiled and kissed her forehead, gently placing her on the bed. "I love you," he whispered gently, sitting beside her.

"I love you," Serena whispered back, leaning up against his chest and laying her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and sighed softly, feeling a small box being placed in her hands. "What's this?" she asked, her eyes snapping open as she felt the texture...velvet.

"It's my promise to you," Kaiba said quietly, taking her hands in his and sliding off the bed, propping himself on one knee. "My promise that I will be forever yours, if you accept. Open it."

Serena slowly opened the box and gasped at the beautiful diamond ring within it. "Seto," she breathed, her eyes growing wide.

"It would give me great honor if you became...my wife," he said quietly, taking the ring out of the box and holding it up to her finger.

"I would think of nothing else," she murmured, tears filling her eyes as she felt the ring slip on her finger. Quickly, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he stood and cried into his chest.

Kaiba lifted her chin in his hand and stopped her tears with his kiss of passion. "You shouldn't cry, it won't help your duel," he teased, smirking.

"You really know how to kill a moment!" she chastised, pushing him playfully.

"Do I?" he asked, raising his brow in suspicion.

"Yes, you do. You're always changing th—"

She was cut off when Kaiba's lips met hers in a hungry display of love and passion and emotion. Closing her eyes, she lost herself in the moment that would pass all too quickly.

"I'm still learning to trust," he whispered, breaking the kiss and pulling her close to him. "But if you teach me..." his voice trailed off as another kiss hit his lips full force. No, he definitely did not mind learning how to trust if she was going to be his teacher. Especially if all lessons were as good as this.

**The End~**

Note: *sniffles* Well…I liked it! ^_^ Short…but sweet. How it should be. So…this brings the story to an end. I hope you all enjoyed this last chapter of _Learning to Trust_ and that you enjoyed the entire story. I enjoyed writing it, even amidst my busyness. I hope you all will read my new stories _The Arrangement_ and _Pursuit_ (tentative title)…whichever comes first. By the way, on my bio. page, there is about two paragraphs to _Pursuit. *wink wink*_

**Thanks to all reviewers who helped make this story possible. Thanks to my computer who put up with me constantly typing into it. And for the times when I got so angry, I'd hit it ^_^ I'd also like to thank my imagination for being such a wonderful thing…But mostly, to the wonderful reviewers! I love you guys!!!!!! *tears up* I'm looking forward to your input on my next story ^_~**

**And I'd like to give a special thanks to three different people.**

**First, I'd like to thank those people who added me to their list of favorite authors…made me feel special.**

**Second, I'd like to thank Yugi-Redwall-Fan for the many, and I do mean many, reviews. (Here's your award ^_-)**

**And last but not least, I'd like to thank kikoken for saying this "this story is easily the best Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic I have ever read." That meant a lot to me!!!!! ^_^**

**Well, that's it. I appreciate all the reviews…and goh, can you believe it? My first completed story. *Sigh* Which would my lovely reviews like to see first? A romance fic…(all I write is romance)…with Joey or another Kaiba or would you rather see a Yami one? I have three stories started…well, two really, the other one is just a plot line. Anyways, why don't you all email me at SaphireSunlight@hotmail.com (yes, I know sapphire should have two "p's" and it's not the email I use for fanfic.net, but this email doesn't get much) And let me know if you'd like Joey, Yami, or Kaiba and I'll try to post the first chapter by November 9. (Oh, so you know, the titles I've mentioned are the Joey and Kaiba titles, not sure of the Yami title yet.)**

**Ok, enough of my rambling, email me. Love you guys!!!!**

**~ Pixie (Angel Hidden in the Shadows)**


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